The way of the fist
by RoxInSocks
Summary: Raised since she was 5 to become a priest, Verica's life is shaken when she meets Kenneth; a champion who will show her the way of the fist as a monk. Between the threat of a great demon awakening, trouble with the assassin's guild and the heartache her mundane love problems are causing her, she'll will have to take her fate into her own hands and fight against destiny.
1. 1:A new Path

Omg...this is my first fanfiction EVER. woot! I hope I won't mess up. English is not my native language so there might be some horrible mistakes here and there...I tried to correct myself the best I could.

I hope you will like my story, especially if you're a fan of monks, because I just LOVE monks :B My story takes place in the world of RO, but you'll find that it is more "inspired by" than directly "taking place in". I added a lot of stuff and bent the universe to my liking. I hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless.

**Warning: This story will eventually contain blood, death, non-explicit and explicit sexual content.**

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><p>Context:<p>

This story takes place in the future of the Ragnarok online we know. Rune Midgard and the region surrounding it were converted long ago to Christianity. The Sanctuary of Rachel no longer serves the goddess Freya, but the catholic God and so does the pope. Odin's shrine was sealed long ago and no one is allowed to enter it. People were forced to abandon their old gods, but some of them still worship Odin in the privacy of their home, away from the spying eyes of the clergy. Many young people don't even remember that there was once other gods. It's in this religious context that this story unfolds. Please keep this in mind and enjoy it.

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><p><strong>The way of the fist<strong>

**Chapter 1: A new Path**

'23 birds on the rope over there' Verica thought to herself while looking by the window. 'This cloud looks like a banana and this one looks like a piece of bread. Hm, I must be really hungry to see food everywhere like this…'

"Verica! Are you listening to me?"

Verica snapped out of her reveries. "O-of course m'am!"

Kebbaku looked at her with disapproval. "No, you are not! You were looking at God knows what outside the window" then she closed the curtains and smacked Verica behind her head. "You do realize your priest exam is in 4 days young girl? Do you consider yourself ready for it?"

Verica sighed and looked at her teacher with bubbly eyes "I'm sorry m'am, but this is such a wonderful and sunny day. I can't help but feel that I'm missing something trapped in this gray church when I could be outside enjoying this beautiful day God is giving us."

"You're lying again. You don't care about the weather. You're just bored with my lesson, and you're trying to find something else to entertain yourself. And you're probably thinking about food since I can hear your belly grumbling."

Verica gave her an awkward smile "haha, you know me so well Kebbaku. I'm truly sorry. It's just that we've been through this lesson millions of time. I think I know pretty well how to heal. It's like a basic skill for acolytes!"

"You'll have to use it a lot during your test. I just want to make sure you're ready for it. You're only 16 but you know I have-"

"High hopes for me, yes, I know…" Verica said while looking at the curtains.

Kebbaku looked at Verica's dark eyes with compassion. "Alright miss. I guess I've filled your brain with enough information for today. And for God's sake, please find something to eat before the whole church hears the sounds of your stomach!"

"Yes m'am!"

Verica left the class and went outside the church to buy something to eat. 'Kebbaku really is a nice teacher. And she cares so much about me. Maybe too much' she though. She arrived at the market and bought some bread. She ate it while going back to the church. On her way, a young swordsman bumped into her and she fell on her rear.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" she said obviously angry while getting up.

"Oh, I'm sorry young lady. Here let me help you"

"It's okay, I can stand by myself!"

"Now now, don't make such a face, you'll get wrinkles. You don't want wrinkles now do you? Such a beautiful face, it would be a shame. "

"...Are you flirting with me"

"Maybe! Wanna come have a drink some place?"

Verica looked at him in disbelief. Was he blind? She's wearing an acolyte suit. Surely he knows acolytes are not allowed such relationship. Well, maybe he's just dumb.

"I'm an acolyte; I'm not allowed to have a boyfriend or…anything like that"

"Oh, that's fine by me! We can just skip that part and go to the interesting one!" he said with a grin.

"…WHAT!" she yelled, shocked. He moved toward her and she quickly punched him right in the face.

"Ooww! AAHH! THE FUCK!"

"You stay away from me you freak! Get the hell out of here before I punch your soul out of your body!"

The swordsman got up and left quickly holding his nose. Verica calmed herself and then heard a small laugh. She turned to see a man looking at her. He was strangely dressed. He had pale blue eyes and black hairs. He looked really handsome and Verica blushed a little. But…was he laughing at her?

"And what are you laughing at?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult you" he said "I just find the whole situation quite funny. A swordsman getting punched by an acolyte, I'm sorry, but I don't get to see this everyday. Have a nice day young girl" Then he walked away.

Verica looked at him for a moment. 'What was that supposed to mean. What a strange man…' she thought.

The young girl resumed her walk toward the church. When she arrived, there were many people gathered by the front door. She joined the crowd to see what the fuss was about. In the middle of the crowd, she saw Vorast Trifden, one of the most important Arch Bishop of the Catholic Church and the closest counsellor of the Pope himself. What a sight really! Arch Bishops almost never leave the pope's side to mix with people like this.

"Hi there Verica!"

"Oh hi Ami. What is an Arch Bishop doing here?"

"Well, I can't say for sure, but he's probably here to attend High Priest Mazrim's Funeral" Ami said.

"Aah, right. It's really sad that he left us. I liked him a lot. But for the Pope's right-hand man to come here like this. I never realized high priest Mazrim was such an important person."

"I heard someone say that he invented Pneuma. Don't know if it's true though."

"Pffff, that's nonsense!"

"Hey! I'm just telling you what I heard! Oh and priest Paico told me that you should cut your hair, they are getting long you know"

Verica looked at her shoulder-length hair. They were not that long of course, but it was a standard for young acolyte to keep their hair short. The priests used to say that only street girls had long hair, whatever that means. Verica never really understood...

"Whatever, I'll just cut them when they force me to. I like my hair like that!"

"Eh, as you wish. I have to go now, see ya."

Verica went into the church and walked toward the front hotel. She saw a kneeled man by the front seats, praying. She passed by him, but she quickly turned back when she realized it was the man who had laughed at her earlier. The moment she looked at him, he opened his eyes and returned her gaze. He smiled at her and sat on the bench "We meet again. Must mean something, don't you think"

She sat beside him and took a closer look at him. He seemed to be in his late twenties. He was very muscular and had many scars on his body (she could see because the front of his shirt was open) 'Don't stare like this stupid…he will notice…there, the way he's smiling, he TOTALLY noticed! Now think…say something intelligent.'

"I've never seen anyone dressed like you beforeé What are you exactly?" She asked.

"Hm, maybe I just have very peculiar tastes in fashion ."

"…Maybe…" Verica replied as she narrowed her eyes on the man.

"…You don't look convinced" The man said with a half smile.

"Because I'm not. You look suspicious."

"Is that so? And what makes you think I'm not just a random citizen?"

"Well, for a normal citizen, you're quite beefy." He laughed at that. "And to be muscular like that, you ought to be a blacksmith or a swordsman, but you're not dressed like one."

"Not necessarily. Maybe I'm just a beefy citizen. With bad fashion style."

"You wear an old holy cross given to young acolyte when they pass their test, which means you're related to this church somehow, but you certainly don't look like an acolyte or a priest."

"Hm, you noticed the cross?" He said with a raised brow.

"I was not sure. Mine is grey, like all the others, but yours is black like it's been burned and it is quite damaged. However, I'm sure it's the same because of the ruby and the carving".

The man stayed silent and waited for her to continue her analysis.

"And there are stains on your gloves. To me, it looks like badly washed blood, which is, in my opinion, very suspicious."

"And your conclusion?" He asked, looking at her with a very serious expression, as if she was about to reveal to him the secret of life.

"Maybe you're some kind of ex-priest who betrayed the order and made a pact with a demon to gain power and get revenge on the Catholic Church?"

The man looked at her intensely. She felt that he was looking at her soul, like her body was not even there. She had said it as a joke, but for a moment, she feared that she was right…

But then he laughed "You have a lot of imagination. I hope you're as clever as you are creative." He said, smiling widely. What a warm smile he had. "You want to know what I am, I'll tell you. However, you might want to keep this for yourself, as people like me are not usually welcome here."

This piqued Verica's curiosity even more. "Why is that?" she asked.

"Now now, one question at a time please" he said while laughing. "Actually, I'm a monk. A champion of faith."

"a monk?"

"Verica!" Kebbaku yelled behind her. "Come here, now!"

Verica looked at her teacher and then looked back at the man who was standing up. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause you any trouble" He said with a sad smile before leaving.

Verica got up and walked toward Kebbaku.

"Don't talk to this man Verica. He's not supposed to be here, stay away from him."

"He seemed nice. He was praying and-"

"Just stay away from him. He's dangerous, don't question me young girl!"

Verica looked at her with surprise written all over her face, but nodded. Kebbaku left and Verica spent the rest of the day thinking about this strange man. When she went to bed, she didn't sleep, too wrapped in her thoughts.

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><p>Verica got up next morning, still thinking about this so called monk. There was only one thing to do. When she didn't know about something, the best way to rectify that was to look in the library. Surely they had books on monks, whatever that is.<p>

She arrived at the library and greeted the girl at the entrance. She asked her if they had books about monks, but the girl said that she didn't know. "If we have one" she said "it's probably in the religious section". So Verica went to the religious section and started searching. It was getting late and she found nothing yet. She was about to give up when a familiar voice spoke to her.

"You look upset"

She turned around to see the so called "monk" she just met yesterday. "I'm trying to find a book on something…but they don't seem to have one" she said.

"Hm, that's too bad. Are you sure you looked everywhere?"

"Yes, I know pretty well how to search in a library, thanks".

"Did you look under the floor"

"Of cou…what?"

He didn't repeat. Instead, he just crouched under a table and lifted one of the wooden planks. He put his hand in the hole and took a book out of it. He put the plank back in place and gave her the book called The way of the fist.

"There, this should satisfy your curiosity. But be sure to put it back in place when you're done with it".

Verica looked at him in disbelief. "Hm…thanks…"

"You're welcome" he said with his ever present smile, then left the room.

'Wait a minute…' "hey, but how did you know I was here looking for this!" She yelled

There was no answer.

Verica left the library with the book and got back to the church. She went to her room where she began reading it. She stayed up all night, wrapped in this new information she was getting. She had never heard of monks, but from what this book was saying, only acolyte could become monks. How come nobody ever told her she could follow this path instead of becoming a priestess? This way of life seemed so much more exciting. She recognized herself in their ways, fighting God's enemy with their bare hands and training their body and soul so that they can be in perfect harmony. She fell asleep on the book, and she dreamt of it.

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><p>The next day, after her ever lasting lesson with Kebbaku, she went to the library and put the book back where it belonged. She came back to the church and looked everywhere to see if she could talk to the monk again, despite her teacher's warning. If this man was really a monk, then he was in no way dangerous for her. They were both servants of God. What's dangerous about it?<p>

She looked everywhere in the church but didn't see him, so she tried looking outside. She arrived in the garden and she saw him hidden behind a tree. He was sitting and his eyes were closed. He was probably meditating or something like that…she remembered reading about it in the book last night. She didn't want to disturb him so she turned away to leave, but apparently he already knew she was there. "Hello again young girl. Was the book interesting?"

Verica sat in front of him and he opened his eyes. "Yes, I learned a lot. Thank you."

"You're welcome" he said. He was still smiling. It seemed to Verica that this man was just unable not to smile.

"Can I ask you a few questions, if you don't mind of course".

"Hm…I don't mind, but I believe your teacher won't be pleased to see you with me."

"What she doesn't know can't hurt her"

His smile widened. "hey, fine by me. What do you want to know?"

"well…for a start, could you tell me your name?"

"Sure, my name's Kenneth. And you are?"

"I'm Verica."

"Nice to meet you Verica"

That smile of him was hypnotizing…what did she wanted to ask him again?

"Was that all you wanted to know?"

"o-of course not! You said you were not welcome here; why is that?"

"Hm…" he looked at the sky for a moment, as if he really needed to think this question through before answering. "You see, monks and priests don't really like each others. Monks regard priests as weaklings who hide behind other people's strength and priests see monks as brute who are more dedicated to their personal growth and strength than to God. We are very few because information about us are kept secret. They don't want their young acolytes to follow our path. That's why they don't like seeing me here."

"That's totally stupid. We serve the same God…"

"I agree with you, but things are what they are."

"If you're not welcome here, then why are you here?"

"High priest Mazrim was my teacher when I was a young acolyte. I have a lot of respect for him, that's why I decided to come and that's why they tolerate my presence here. It would be very impolite not to let me pay my respects one last time. Now I suggest you leave, before you get in trouble" he said with a smile again.

"If you didn't want me around, why did you give me that book?" She asked, clearly suspicious.

"I'm just warning you, that's all. As I said, I don't want to cause you any trouble."

"Trouble's my middle name!" she said and he laughed quietly.

"Is that so?" then he closed his eyes again "Good, because I believe it's too late to avoid it now"

"what are you-" as she asked, she saw Kebbaku in the garden. Indeed, it was too late because she'd already spotted her. She looked angry…

"Verica, may I have a word with you?"

Verica looked at Kenneth. He just smiled and didn't say anything while keeping his eyes closed. She got up and joined Kebbaku who led her into the church.

"Will you ever listen to me?"

"I'm sorry m'am"

"I told you not to talk to him, but you never listen! You always think you know better than your elders and you pick fight with other people! Your impudent personality and lack of respect for rules will cause your downfall! Don't waste your talent like that! Now go to your room young girl. Stay there and pray. Pray and think of your insolent behaviour!"

Verica didn't say a thing, for if she talked, her voice would have betrayed her anger. She started to walk away.

"And cut your hair while you're at it! There are getting long, I don't want you to look like a whore on your test!" Kebbaku yelled behind her. Verica didn't answer and started to run toward her room.

She cried in her bed until it was dark outside. She didn't understand why. It was so childish, but she couldn't stop herself. Kebbaku had never been so mean to her, but she was probably right. This was not the behaviour of a priestess.

When she calmed herself, she left her room and went to the garden, regardless of her teacher's order. Once there, she crouched by the pond with a knife and looked at her reflection in the water. She was about to cut her hair when someone startled her.

"What are you doing with a knife?"

It was Kenneth. He looked worried. Understandable. Seeing a girl with a knife near her face probably looks suspicious.

"I'm cutting my hair" she answered.

"Oh…I see" he said as he took a good look at her. He looked directly into her eyes, but his gaze was too intense and she looked away. "Hum, are you sure about this? I mean, it's a pity really. I think long hair would suit you. But what do I know? I'm just a man…with bad fashion tastes, probably better not to listen to me eh?"

She laughed at that, and he smiled even more. He walked away without adding anything. Verica stayed by the pond for a moment, looking at herself. Then she returned to her room, without cutting her hair.

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><p>That night, she slept well for the first time since her encounter with Kenneth, but didn't wake up feeling rested at all. 'It's probably the stress of tomorrow's test' she thought.<p>

She got up and prepared for the funeral of High Priest Mazrim. Once there she took her place and waited. She looked for Kenneth and eventually she spotted him at the back of the church. She caught herself looking at him more than she should have during the ceremony, but she didn't want lo lose sight of him. Once it was over, she quickly made her way toward him before he left.

"Kenneth!"

"Hello there, young one. What can an old man like me do for you today?"

"I just wanted to thank you…for last night. You really cheered me up and I'm thankful for that."

"It was nothing, you're welcome" he said. "I wish you good luck in you apprenticeship Verica. It was a pleasure to meet you."

"You sound like I'll never see you again…"

"Well, I'm going back to St-Capitolina Abbey in a few hours so…maybe we'll meet again, who knows?"

"oh…right" She said reluctantly.

"Yeah."

They stayed in front of each other for a moment. Verica was looking at the ground, like she was expecting him to say something. But he simply stayed there with his smile on his face and looked down at her, like the situation wasn't awkward at all.

"Hm…well, have a safe trip then!" Verica finally said.

"Thank you Verica. Take care of yourself" He said with a caring smile and then left.

Verica stayed where she was for a moment. She didn't know why, but she felt sad. She considered her feelings. Deep inside she didn't want him to leave. She wanted to know more about monks. She went up to her room and thought thoroughly about the situation. Tomorrow was her passing exam to become priestess. But to be a monk…somehow she felt that it was the latest she really wanted. She looked at her hands and made up her mind. She wrote a farewell note to Kebbaku, took some of her belongings and left the church. She went toward the north gate, because St-Capitolina was north east from here, so Kenneth was most likely to go through there.

She arrived at the gate and she saw Kenneth waiting beside it. When he saw her, he didn't look surprised.

"Hm? What are you doing here? Going somewhere?"

"Yes"

"Is that so?"

Verica bowed her head "Please take me as an apprentice" she said.

Kenneth looked at her, impassive. She could have said "Just passing by" and he would have had the same reaction probably.

She didn't move. She stayed bowed. She would not move until he answered her.

"Hm…interesting. You studied all your life to become a priest. You want to throw this all away now, when your passing exam is tomorrow? Why is that?"

Verica straightened up and looked at him directly in the eyes for the first time. Only one thing could be seen in her eyes; determination.

"I was never given a choice to become a priest or not"

The monk stared down at her, obviously expecting more explanation than that.

She looked at her hands and continued

"Those hands were meant to serve God, I'm sure of that. But they were not meant to heal people." She looked back at him "They were meant to slay God's enemies and protect the weak from evil! This is not my place. I belong somewhere else. I want to serve God in another way!"

Kenneth looked at her, unmoved. He wasn't sad or angry, but he wasn't smiling either. He looked so serious, and a bit scary. "Being a monk is not easy. It is neither a game nor a way to look cool. Only a few succeed, some die trying, some grow mad. It's not for everyone."

"I'll never know if it's for me if I don't try. I have faith in myself and I have faith in God. I know he will not let me down, because I fight for him."

Kenneth considered her for a moment, and then the warm and comforting smile was back on his face, along with an eye crease. "Good enough for me! Fine, follow me then!"

"But…wait! You're ready to leave? What were you waiting for before I arrived?"

"Well, I was waiting to see if you would come."

"…What?" she said with surprise.

"From the first time I saw you, I knew you had it in you." Kenneth simply said, putting his hands in his pocket.

"Had what?" Verica asked with a raised brow.

"The potential to become a monk. But I didn't know if you would have the courage to give up your life as a priest. I'm glad I waited. Now stop looking at me like that, it makes me feel awkward. Let's get going". He said as he turned to leave Prontera.

Verica looked at his back. She was excited. So excited, but scared at the same time. Was she doing the right choice? Kenneth turned back toward her and smile. Another one of those warm smiles that made her feel like nothing can happen to her. That was all she needed to brush her doubt aside and step forward into her new life.

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><p>This is my first chapter. Thank you for reading, I hope you like my characters :)<p> 


	2. 1:The girl in my dream

Second Chapter here :)

In this chapter I refer to the "island region". The island region is the eastern part of Rune Midgard map, on another continent. It's made of the city of Gonryun, Amatsu, Louyang and Ayothaya, which all have a more "asian" look. That's why I used words like "sensei" for teacher and "-san" and "-sama" at the end of names, which are titles of respect in Japanese. I decided to do so because when you go to st-capitolina abbey in the game, some npc have the title "sensei" at the end of their name.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 : The girl in my dream<strong>

'WOW! They are sooo cute! I've never seen yoyos in real life before!' Verica thought while looking around her. It was her first time outside Prontera and her surrounding was breath taking. All her attention was directed at the environment.

"…You're not listening to me are you?" Kenneth said with an awkward smile and a raised brow.

Verica quickly turned to him. "I…no, I'm sorry. This is my first time outside Prontera. It's difficult for me to focus, I'm truly sorry"

"It's ok. I understand. But next minute, I strongly recommend that you listen to me"

Verica straightened up and nodded, walking beside Kenneth.

"Alright" he said with a smile. "So, as I was saying, before you can become a monk, you'll need to pass a few tests."

'Nice' she thought 'I traded a priest exam for a monk exam…'

"It's not like your priest exam however"

'What the? Is he reading my mind or… of course not, I'm so silly! Now focus!'

"You studied all your life to become a priest and the exam was supposed to test your understanding of what you were taught. You got that?"

She nodded.

"But the tests you'll pass in St-Capitolina are to test your personality. You can't prepare for it by studying something. It'll test your soul, your values. It will test you, as a person, to see if you are worthy of becoming a monk."

Verica gulped. This was…scary. She didn't know what to think or how to prepare herself.

"Do you understand?" Kenneth asked.

"Yes, I understand, but I have some trouble imagining such a test. How is it?"

"I can't tell you. But don't worry. You just have to listen to your heart and have faith that God is guiding you. If you fail, it's because you would not have been able to be a monk, so it's just better like this. But if you pass, then you'll be assigned a sensei and your training will begin." He said with a smile

"A sensei?"

"That's how people from the Island region call teachers. Many techniques were developed there, so we use some words from their language."

"I see. So, my teacher will not necessarily be you?"

"That will be for the head master to decide. I've never taught before. I don't know if she'll let me."

"The head master is like a chief?"

"You could say that. She's the most accomplished champion of Midgard, or so they say"

"What is a champion?"

"Champions are monks who have reached the limits of their human minds and bodies. Through training, they attain perfect harmony and they can tap into the real strength of their being…"

Verica stared at the older man and blinked at few times.

"…Let's just say that they are like monks, but more powerful" He corrected with a smile "I'm a champion myself".

"I thought you were a monk!"

"A champion IS a monk, like a high priest IS a priest. It's just the next step"

"So you're like totally awesome and very powerful?! You hide it well" She said with a devilish smile.

"Thank you, same goes for you and your feminity." He answered, playing her game.

"What…hmph" She looked away and crossed her arms, trying to look insulted, but it just made Kenneth laugh. God his laugh was contagious, just like his smile, so she laughed as well.

'I hope that he'll be my teacher. I feel really comfortable with him. He's so carefree. It's like nothing really matters to him' she thought.

"And here we are" Kenneth said as he stopped.

Verica looked up and saw the entrance of what seemed to be some kind of religious ruin. She followed Kenneth trough the gate. She saw a few people, just minding their own business, while some of them greeted Kenneth as they passed. Many seemed to come from the island region, like Kebbaku.

"So you're back boy. I'm glad. I was afraid the priest would kill you." said an old man with a bottle of rum in is hand.

"They could have tried" said Kenneth, and the old man laughed. He coughed loudly before walking toward Verica.

"Really boy, I can understand you want to feel younger, but that's no reason to take them THAT young you know…"

Verica looked at him offended. 'What is THAT supposed to mean? You old geezer…' she thought. As the old man laughed, Kenneth straightened and looked at him, upset. It was the first time that she saw him offended. Not that she'd known him for a long time either.

"Yeah, I should just do like you and watch them when they bath." He said.

The old man stopped laughing and coughed loudly once again.

"Hm…seriously, who's she?"

"What makes you think she's not what you said, sensei? I'm your student after all. Wouldn't be surprising for anyone here that I'm into that kind of stuff, hm?" Kenneth answered. He was still angry. She didn't understand why. She'd teased him on the way here but he'd taken it lightly…maybe he was uncomfortable with sexual allusions. She understood that all too well.

"You got lots of faults boy, but luxury's not one of them. Fortunately, that's one part of my lifestyle you didn't follow. Now stop being such a smart-ass and spill it, who's she?"

Verica was looking at both of them. The more they talked, the more she felt unimportant. They were talking like she was not even there, just like the priests used to do.

"She's an acolyte I met in Prontera. She wishes to become a monk so I brought her here." Kenneth answered. His expression was softening a little.

The old man was suddenly very serious and he looked at Verica. She felt very awkward. She didn't know if she should talk.

"What's your name?"

"..Verica sir"

"Haha, drop the sir girl, you won't need it here!" he said while laughing "I can say by your manners that you were raised to become a priest, are you sure you want to change the path you'll follow for the rest of your life? It's very different…and difficult."

Verica didn't answer right away. This man was so intimidating. She glanced at Kenneth out of the corner of her eyes and he smiled at her. She smiled back and looked back at the old man.

"Yes"

"Fine then. I wish you good luck." Then he just walked away and Kenneth resumed his own walk.

"Who was that?" asked Verica.

"My old sensei, when I was still a monk. His name is Mathias. He can be really…how should I say… unorthodox. But he's a kind man. Let's just say that he likes women too much" Kenneth said as he rolled his eyes.

Verica looked away shyly. She was uncomfortable with this subject, being a priest-to-be for so many years.

"So…that means that, well..." she whispered.

"Hm?"

"It means that monks are…I mean, priests are not allowed to have, you know, relations…"

"We are not priests. Remember, monks don't like priests." Kenneth answered before she finished. "Nothing forbids us to get married or to have sexual relations, if that's what you mean" She blushed, like she'd never blushed before. "But still, the later is looked down upon. Everything that can get in the way of finding inner peace should be avoided. But…well, we are only humans after all."

Verica looked away and remained silent.

"But you're too young to think about such things." he said as he looked down at her with a smile.

She looked up and frowned "I'm 16..."

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying. For an old man like me, being 16 is awfully young."

"How old are you exactly?"

"I'm 27."

"What? That's not even close to being old! That perverted sensei of yours IS old, not you!"

"Haha, thank you" he said while laughing, again. It really impressed her how everyone here seemed to always laugh…not like at the church.

They kept walking as they talked and teased each other. They came to a stop in front of the St-Capitolina Abbey where a woman blocked their way. "What's that Kenneth?"

"She's here to pass the test." he answered

"Does Moohae knows about this?"

"Ah, well, you see-"

"I don't care about your excuses Kenneth. Go see Moohae and come back after. Every potential apprentice must register to him first. You know that. "

Kenneth sighed and walked away. Verica followed him to another building. It was some kind of hall of the dead. They entered and she saw another old man, obviously from the island region as well. He was praying.

"Welcome back Kenneth" He said as he got up.

"Thank you, Moohae-san. I have someone here who would like to become a monk."

"Is that so? I'm surprised that you've come to me first instead of just bringing her to the abbey to take the test" He said with an annoyed expression.

"Of course not..." He said with an awkward smile.

"Hm, right. I suppose that this is she?"

The man looked at Verica, just like Kenneth did in the church; like her body was not there and only her soul could be seen.

"What is your name young girl?"

"I'm Verica."

The man took a book from his pocket and wrote something in it.

"Go to the cemetery Verica and talk to a woman called Tooha. She will get you through your tests."

"Y-yes..." she said as she turned to leave. Kenneth took a step to follow her but Moohae stopped him.

"You stay here Kenneth. I'm sure she can find her way alone."

Kenneth narrowed his eyes on the older man a second, then he turned back to Verica and smiled at her "The cemetery is north from here. Don't worry, you'll be fine".

She nodded and left the hall.

Kenneth looked at Moohae with questioning eyes.

"She really wants to become a monk, Kenneth? Or is it just you who pushed the idea into her head in order to bring her here and-"

"Moohae-san" Kenneth interrupted him "I'll be honest with you, I'm sick of your prejudices. Yes, I was once Mathias' student. Yes, he has…some doubtful values, but I'm NOT Mathias! Please stop doing everything to get on my nerves."

"Is this a threat Kenneth?"

"Of course not".

"That's too bad. It would have given me a reason to get you out of this abbey…"

The two men looked at each other for a long moment, in silence. Kenneth was about to speak, but a woman entered the room so he changed his mind on what to say.

"I'll be going now if you don't mind, Moohae-sama. I hope to see you soon again" Kenneth said with a smile. A very fake smile.

"I look forward to it Kenneth-san, and good luck to your protégé." Moohae answered with the same fake smile.

Kenneth left, fist clenched. Once he was outside, he walked around, taking deep breaths to calm his anger and to stop him from ripping Moohae's heart out with his bare hands. This man had always hated him for one simple reason; he was Mathias' student. Those two had always been in competition, but Mathias would always beat Moohae in the end. It frustrated him to no end, no matter how much he dedicated himself to God, he would always lose to Mathias, whose morals were more than doubtful. Always drinking and sleeping with woman he didn't even know while Moohae was training and praying, giving his soul and body to God. It wasn't fair of course and Kenneth understood that, but who ever said that life was fair?

"One must have the strength to accept what can't be changed, the courage to change what can be and the wisdom to know the difference." That's what the church had always told Kenneth back in his acolyte days. Obviously, Moohae didn't have the strength to accept the fact that Mathias was simply a genius, or didn't have the perseverance to push himself even further to surpass his rival. Either way, he clearly lacked wisdom, to spit his venom on him like this!

Kenneth looked at the sky and took one last deep breath, evacuating his anger in his expiration. Hating Moohae would not help. It would be best to ignore him for the moment. It was getting late and Verica would probably only pass her test tomorrow. Since then he had to speak to the head master.

* * *

><p>Verica arrived at the cemetery. There was only one person, so she concluded that it was Touha. She walked beside her, but the woman didn't move from her crouched position.<p>

"Excuse me? Are you Touha?" Verica asked.

"Hm? Yes, it's me" the woman said as she got up

"Hello m'am. My name is Verica. I've come here to become a monk and Moohae told me to come and see you."

The woman looked at her in surprise for a moment before speaking "Wow, I'm sorry. It's just that new apprentices are so rare! How did you find this place?"

"A man named Kenneth brought me here".

"Hm…Kenneth? He brought you here to become a monk? Well, that's surprising. Guess you caught his eyes" she said with a smile. Verica blushed, not knowing how to react to such a statement.

"Very well Verica, I can see that you're an acolyte…could you make me a demonstration of what you know?"

"Yes m'am"

"You can call me Touha" she said with a serene smile.

"…Ok"

Verica remembered her lessons with Kebbaku and showed Touha her skills. Blessing, healing, agility increase and decrease, cure, holy light, etc. Touha looked at her the whole time and then she asked her to stop.

"Alright. I can see that you're quite advanced. You'll be able to take the tests without further training."

Verica looked at Touha with excitement written on her face. She was eager to pass those tests, and to know if Kenneth would be her teacher.

"Now, I will tell you one of the monk's prayers and you'll have to remember it and repeat after me, ok?"

"Yes m'am. I mean, Touha"

"Alright" she closed her eyes and put her hands on Verica's shoulders. "I commit myself to veritas and aequitas. I will follow my path to enlightenment and purity. I will protect my brothers with my life. Evil shall never be victorious while I breathe. In nomine Patris, et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Now, your turn." Then she removed her hands.

Verica looked at her in disbelief. There was no way she could remember all this right there on the spot.

"I…I commit myself…to veritas and aequitas…" she started. Then she said the second sentence…and the third. She said it all, like she'd recited it all her life. 'What the…how could this be? I said it all, just like that. It's impossible!' Verica thought.

"Well done. You have potential…huge potential; I can feel it flowing through you. God is guiding you, but of course, that's not enough to become a monk. It's getting late. I'll show you a room where you can rest for the night. Tomorrow morning, go find Bashu at the Abbey and he'll make you pass the tests."

Verica didn't understand. What just happened? It was like her body was possessed by someone else's soul…

"Are you ok young girl?"

"Yes, I just…I don't understand how I did this. I feel…strange."

"It's normal, you've awaken and your body is feeling its soul for the first time. It's only the beginning."

Verica looked at Touha for a moment, but concentrated on her own body. Indeed, she could feel her body and her soul, like two distinct beings. It was like she was aware of her own existence for the first time. Was that…her heartbeat she was hearing?

"Did you understand about tomorrow?" Touha asked.

"Y-yes. Tomorrow morning at the abbey, see Bashu to pass the tests."

"Alright, let's find you a place to sleep" Touha said while walking away. Verica followed her, trying to understand what was happening.

* * *

><p>Kenneth went to the Abbey and walked in, greeting the girl at the entrance once again.<p>

"Moohae wasn't too disagreeable?" Asked the girl.

"An angel" he answered as the girl laughed quietly.

Kenneth made his way through the Abbey until he arrived at the head master's quarter. He knocked on the door and waited for an answer. A "yes" coming from the other side told him he could get in.

Behind the door was a huge desk and behind that desk was a woman with a few brown hairs among her gray ones. Her face was serious, but not mean. It was the image of a strict mother. She had deep wrinkles around her mouth and eyes, evidence of a life time of laughter, and she wore them with an unexpected pride. She looked up from the papers she was reading and smiled when she saw Kenneth.

"Welcome back Kenneth. You didn't have too much trouble with the priests I hope?"

"No Master. Everything went well"

"Good, but surely you didn't come here just to tell me that everything went well, isn't it?"

"Actually, I wanted to tell you that I brought a potential apprentice from Prontera".

"You? An apprentice? Is this some kind of joke?"

"I'm serious Master"

The woman looked at the man in front of her for a moment, her expression giving no hints on what she was thinking. Neither of them moved for several minutes. She just looked at him with an intense look and an emotionless face. He tried to keep visual contact with the woman, but eventually he spoke, just to cut the tension that was building. This woman could be so intimidating…

"I dreamt of her" he said.

The old woman sighed and laughed a little "Kenneth, please, spare me those kind of details-"

"No, I mean I dreamt of her before I met her" Kenneth rectified.

The head master's expression became serious. "…What?"

"Before I left for Prontera, I had the same dream for a few nights. I'm in Morroc desert. I'm on the ground and I can't feel my body, like I'm on the verge of death. She is kneeling beside me. She is older though, but I'm sure it's her. There are other people around us with monk and champion suits, but they have no faces."

"And what is she doing?"

"…She's eating my heart."

The woman looked at him in confusion. "…This is not funny Kenneth."

"I'm not making fun of you, Yolene-sama. When she's done she gets up, walk away and all the other people follow her. Then my eyes close and when I open them again, I'm inside that woman. I mean, I can see what she sees. It's completely dark around me. She is fighting demons and every steps she takes brings some light to the surroundings. Then she arrives in front of a wall. She breaks it with her fist and a big flash of light blinds me…and then I wake up. I assure you, the woman in my dream really IS the girl I brought! I have absolutely no doubt about it!"

"Well, this is…disturbing. I don't know what to make of this. It must mean something since you dreamt of her before you left but…Are you sure you've never met her before?"

"I'm sure. I was shocked when I saw her in Prontera and I recognized her right away. The fact that she was an acolyte…I took it as a sign."

The woman looked at him with a very serious expression. She was thinking, Kenneth could tell by the way she frowned.

"Well, either way, if she passes the tests, we will welcome her in our ranks. Now about your dream…really, I don't know. I'm sorry Kenneth."

"The thing is…master, I have a request". Kenneth sais hesitantly.

"Hm?"

"If she passes, she'll need a sensei and-"

"If you're worry about Moohae's influence I-"

"…No, please let me finish master! I can't let her go with someone else! I dreamt of her! It MUST mean something! I'm sure that our fates are connected somehow. You know I've never wanted to take the title of sensei, but this girl is different."

"…What do you mean different?"

"I don't know. I just…have a strange feeling about her"

"What? You're in love with her" the woman teased.

"With all my respect Master, I know how it feels to be in love and it has nothing to do with it" Kenneth quickly answered, trying to hide his annoyance.

"I'm just teasing you Kenneth, don't be such a tight-ass. I understand that you want to see through the situation. It sure is disturbing. But to let you teach her… I don't know. You refused the last student I sent your way a few months ago Kenneth! You know that the council decides who will teach the new apprentices. You're not supposed to refuse this title, but you did, and I let you get away with it. And now you want to teach her? Why should I make an exception for you and let you decide who your student will be? Anyway, I'm not sure it's a good idea to make her your student particularly."

"But I brought her here. I know it doesn't give me the right to claim her as my student but-"

"You miss the point Kenneth" she interrupted "What's bugging me is to know if you're doing this just to solve the mystery of your dream, or really to teach her how to be a monk. Is it for your own interests, or hers?"

Kenneth looked at her with surprise, then looked at the floor.

"I believe even you don't really know the answer to this question…"

Kenneth didn't answer.

"Go get some rest Kenneth. You have made your request, I will think about it. I can't promise you anything".

"…I understand. Thank you Master" Kenneth said as he looked up. He bowed and turned around to leave her quarters.

Once he was outside, he walked to the cliff to the south. He sat at the edge and looked at the sunset. The head master was right, he'd been selfish. He was so obsessed with his dream that he hadn't thought about the girl's well being. Maybe it had been a mistake to bring her here. If he was lucky, she would fail the tests and go home…and he would just forget about his dream. But she looked so determined to become a monk and he could feel so much potential from her. Damn this whole situation was troublesome. He fell on his back, his legs hanging in mid-air at the edge of the cliff. He looked at the sky and he fell asleep on the ground, wrapped in his thoughts.

* * *

><p>Hope you like it ^^<p> 


	3. 1:The trial

Here goes Chapter 3, just for you :P

The tests are really based on the tests you pass in the game :B Characters as well.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3 The trial<strong>

Verica woke up the next morning in her new bed. Touha had brought her to what they called the sanctuary. There were beds everywhere in a large room where everybody slept and some kind of cafeteria in the other room where the main entrance was. Verica hadn't slept much. She felt like a stranger to her own body. She didn't know what Touha had done to her but it was maddening. The sound of her heart beating kept her awake almost all night and she could still feel it even now. She went to the other room and the man at the food counter gave her something to eat with a smile, without question, like she'd always been there. After she ate, she left and went to the Abbey to pass her tests.

She arrived there and the girl at the entrance stopped her.

"You're the girl Kenneth brought? You came to pass the tests?" she said

"Yes"

"I can feel that you've already performed the prayer so you can go in. Bashu should be right there when you get in".

"Thank you." Verica replied as the girl smiled and nodded.

Verica entered the abbey and immediately she was accosted by a man.

"You must be Verica?"

"Yes. Are you Bashu?"

"That's me! So, wanna pass the tests eh?"

"Yes!" she answered with enthusiasm.

"Good, I don't like to waste time. Your first test will be to pick mushrooms."

"…What?"

"You heard me well, mushroom picking."

Bashu walked pass her to leave the abbey. Verica snapped out of her surprise to follow him. 'is this some kind of joke?' she thought. Bashu led her to a garden and gave her a basket.

"Here, start picking mushrooms and come back to me when you think you got enough of them."

"What's the point? I mean, what are you testing with this?"

"Your patience, mainly"

Verica looked at him for a moment. 'hm, don't have much choice…' She thought. She turned around and ventured into the garden. She spotted her first mushroom so she crouched, took it and put it in her basket. She repeated the same action all afternoon. Her basket was half-full and she was getting really hungry, so she went back to Bashu and showed him her basket.

"Hm, nope. Sorry, you don't have enough."

"Can I take a break to eat then?"

"If you leave, you'll have to start again."

"What?!"

"Those are the rules. Do you want to quit?"

"…Of course not!"

"That's what I like to hear." he said with a smile.

Verica walked away. 'are those really the rules or is he just trying to kill me?' she thought. She was so hungry, but she didn't want to start again. She continued to pick mushrooms, filling her basket. Then suddenly she stopped, mushroom in her hand. Those were probably comestible isn't it? She smelled it. 'Doesn't smell anything weird, but if I ate them it will take even more time to fill my basket. What should I do?' Verica thought. She hesitated, but her belly decided that eating was more important than anything else at the moment. So, all her next mushrooms went into her mouth instead of the basket. When she wasn't hungry anymore, she resumed her mission.

* * *

><p>"This is no place to sleep you know"<p>

Kenneth slowly opened his eyes. A blond-haired girl was above him, looking at him with her brown eyes, fist on her hips.

"Good morning to you too, Carly." He said as he sat up. His back hurted…as did his neck and his head. He rubbed the back of his neck as he whined.

"That's what you get for sleeping on the ground, stupid!" The girl said while laughing and sitting beside him. "I heard you brought a girl from Prontera, who's she?"

"A girl who wanted to become a monk, so she followed me here."

"Really? She probably followed you just because of your stupidly charming smile!" She said with a grin.

"Don't forget my pretty eyes and my smashing personality" he answered with the same grin.

"pfff, please stop, I'll die of laughter". She said as she crossed her arms and looked away, quite like Verica had done on the way here…

"Hm, what time is it?" He asked.

"It's past lunchtime" she answered.

"…Shit." He said as he got up.

"What is it?"

"I wanted to go see her before she takes her tests, but it's probably too late now. I'll try to find her anyway."

"Who?"

"The girl from Prontera."

"Oh, right. Sorry. Hm, does she have purple hair and dark eyes?" she asked.

"…Yeah."

"Ah, I thought so. I saw her in the garden picking up mushrooms, she's probably still there." She said.

"Ah, the mushroom picking test…brings back memories. Anyway, thank you." then he left and went to the garden.

He found her, but he kept his distance. He watched her for a moment. He could tell that she was different, so it meant that she'd recited the prayer successfully. No surprise. This girl had something special about her. She was meant to be a monk and he had no doubt that she would succeed in all of the tests.

"You brought us some good stuff from Prontera Kenneth." Bashu said behind him.

"Yeah, well, let's wait until she passes all the tests though." Kenneth answered with a smile.

"I'm sure she will pass. I don't usually believe in fate but this girl…she just has a big aura around her that says 'I'll accomplish great things in the future and you'd better be prepared for it'. Hm, no wonder she caught your eyes. Still, I'm surprised. I thought you didn't want to be a sensei?"

"I won't necessarily be her sensei. The head master will decide."

"But if she asks you to take her, will you? Or will you just leave the Abbey for a months like the last time she tried to give you a student?"

"It was a coincidence. I had something important to do…"

"Yeah…right..."

"As you said, this girl is different. If Yolene wants me to be her sensei, I will. How could I refuse? The girl will probably prefer me anyway since she already knows me a bit."

"She thinks she knows you, you mean. Be careful if you become her sensei; young girls are easily impressed. And don't get me started on their emotions…"

"You think too much Bashu. I know all this, don't worry. It is part of the training of a monk to control one's emotion."

"Alright. It's just that…I feel so much potential from her. I don't want it to be wasted by your inexperience...no offence."

"…Well, whatever happens, I know the head master will make the right decision" Kenneth said, ignoring Bashu's comment and trying to keep his smile in place.

"yeah, of course"

"I'll be going. Let me know how the rest of her tests went"

"Sure, don't worry, your girl is in good hand" he said with a grin.

"Don't grin like that. Seriously, it's unsettling." Kenneth said as he laughed

He left the garden and went to the sanctuary to eat. On his way, he met Mathias again.

"Where's your Prontera girl?"

"Passing the mushroom test."

"And where are you going?"

"To the sanctuary to eat"

"Ha, well, mind if I join you?

"…no."

They walked beside each other to the sanctuary. Kenneth was no fool. He knew what this was about. But he would wait for Mathias to speak.

They arrived at the sanctuary and sat at a table with their food. They ate in silence. Kenneth waited, waited and waited. But eventually he just lost his patience.

"For God's sake Mathias spill it! What the hell do you want?!" Kenneth asked with annoyance.

"What? Can't I enjoy a meal with my ex-student?"

"I'm not stupid, old man. You never do this. So what do you want?"

"Hm, it's just that you look troubled."

Kenneth froze for a moment. Leave it to the old man to read him like an open book.

"Is that so? I guess I'm just tired from the trip to Prontera" He lied.

"I'm just worried about you boy. If you don't want to talk, that's fine. I just wanted to let you know that I was there for you. You know you're like a son to me…"

"…Are you drunk again?" Kenneth asked with a sigh.

"No.."

There was a long pause.

"…Maybe a little." Mathias said with a smile as he scratched his head and looked up like he was trying to remember something. "It's hard for me to tell."

"You shouldn't drink so much sensei…"

"I'm too old to stop now boy."

They sat in silence for a moment. Kenneth looked at the old man in front of him. He never talked about personal matter like he had just done, unless he was inebriated. It was a shame really. The man had always drank, from as far as he could remember, but 5 years ago his consummation had become worrisome. He didn't know why. Kenneth found it really sad and inappropriate, but who was he to tell this old man what to do? Anyway, if he wanted to talk, then he would talk.

"You remember the dream I mentioned to you?" Kenneth started.

"Hm, the woman eating your heart? Yes"

"It's her"

"Who?" Mathias asked, chewing on a piece of bread.

"The girl from Prontera"

Mathias looked at him in disbelief for a moment and then he just started laughing, almost choking of the food in hiw mouth.

"Haha! Who's drinking now boy? Eh?! Seriously!"

"I'm serious, stupid old man!"

"That's impossible boy, you think you're an oracle or something!"

"I didn't say that! But this woman in my dream IS the girl! I recognized her right away, even if she's younger! Did you feel her potential?! This must mean something!"

"…So that's why you brought her here."

"She decided to come of her own free will." Kenneth said, taking a bite of his meal.

"Yeah, well, you certainly helped a bit! Anyway, if what you say is true…well, it sure is strange. Have you talked to Yolene about it?"

"Yes, but she doesn't know what to make of it."

"If your dream has anything to do with reality, I would say it was a bad idea to bring her here."

"...Why?" Kenneth asked, not understanding why he was saying this.

"Are you dumb boy? This girl might eat your heart in the future! If I were you, I would stay away from her!"

"She can't really eat my heart! Maybe the heart thing is just…you know, symbolic."

"Even if it is, I'm not sure it has a very positive meaning. Do as you wish boy. Just try not to let it distract you. Will you be her sensei? I suppose not." Mathias asked as he took a sip of water. But from the smell, Kenneth could tell it was not simple water. Smelled more like vodka to him.

"If the head master tells me to, I will."

"Really? I thought you didn't want to be a sensei?"

"Well, I could make an exception for her. I can feel something special about her."

"What? You're in love with her?"

Kenneth sighed and slammed his fist on the table. Coming from the head-master; ok, he could keep his calm. From this old fool; it was too much "Damn it! She's just a child, you dirty old man!"

"It doesn't answer the question."

"NO! And I shouldn't have to answer such a stupid question!"

"Ha ha, I'm just making fun of you boy, calm down. You can be such a tight-ass sometimes. But what is it then?"

"I don't know. I think our fates are connected somehow." He said as he calmed down.

"You believe in fate now? Was I really your sensei once? Haven't I taught you anything."

"You don't believe in anything old fool! I often wonder if you even believe in God!" Kenneth said as he got up and left, leaving his half eaten meal behind.

"Don't do anything stupid boy!" Mathias yelled behind him. "And if you do become her sensei, try to be a better one than I was!"

Kenneth didn't answer and just left the sanctuary. "Try to be a better one than I was" he said? Yeah, well, that would not be hard to do. As much as Kenneth respected Mathias, he couldn't say that he had been a very good teacher. Actually, yes, he was a good teacher, but nothing more. When he had problems, he never helped him. He never felt a special bond between them. Now that he was always drunk, it was like he was regretting it and he was trying to make up for it, telling him he's like his son. It was probably true, and Kenneth was more than happy to consider Mathias as his father more than his biological one, whoever this man was. But it was a little bit late to say it. He would have needed to hear this back when he was a young boy in dire need of a father figure, more than now.

That's why he had never wanted to become a sensei. He was too afraid of doing the same mistakes and end up like Mathias; old, drunk and full of regrets. But the situation was different now. He really wanted to teach this girl. He would not be the same as Mathias. He was not Mathias after all. It was clear to him that the girl would pass the tests. He couldn't let her go with someone else. He had to make this right, for both his sake and hers. That is if Yolene let him teach.

Kenneth returned to the garden and watched Verica for the rest of the day, taking care of not being seen by her.

* * *

><p>Verica was still picking mushrooms, again and again. She went to Bashu three times, but she never had enough. The sun was going down and she was still picking mushrooms, like a robot with automatic movements. Then Bashu came to her, when the sun was totally out of sight. He took her basket and shook it a little.<p>

"hm, now you have enough. Good work."

"That's it? That was all?!"

"What? Maybe you want to continue?"

"O-of course not!"

"You did well girl. Many people just leave when they get too hungry. You made the right choice to eat the mushroom, even if it made you waste some time. You've showed patience, perseverance and resourcefulness."

Verica looked at him. 'Well, I guess everything went better than expected' she thought.

"Now you must be tired? Go back to the sanctuary and come back tomorrow for your second test."

"Can you tell me what it will be?"

"I can tell you that it will test your patience once again, but also your concentration and your endurance."

'How helpful…' she thought.

"Come on now, go rest. You deserve it."

Verica got up and went back to the sanctuary, as Bashu turned toward Kenneth and gave him a thumb up. Kenneth smiled and left the garden as well.

Verica sat on one of the bed in the sanctuary and looked at the people around her. Even if it seemed that everyone was sleeping here, she hadn't seen Kenneth in the morning and he wasn't here now either. Maybe he was sleeping somewhere else. She lay down on the bed and closed her eyes. Immediately the sound of her heart came back. It had been there all day probably, but she had been able to forget it during her test. Now that there was nothing to concentrate on, the feeling was back. She stayed like this though and tried to sleep.

* * *

><p>Verica arrived at the Abbey the next day, eager to see what her next test would be. It was so different from her priest training. She really didn't know what to expect, but she knew one thing: this was her place. Everyone seemed so happy and serene. Life seemed easier here. She felt free. She felt like herself. Kenneth was probably the best thing that had ever happened to her. Even if he was not her teacher, she didn't care. She really wanted to be a monk.<p>

…But being his student would still be nice.

She was getting used to hearing her heart and feeling her soul. It was getting natural…a little more natural at least. She just didn't understand what the purpose of this was.

Bashu took her out of her reveries "Are you ready for your second test?"

"Yes!" she said with a big smile.

"I like your attitude! Follow me then!"

They ventured deeper into the abbey and went down a flight of stairs. They went down for what seemed like an eternity. Then they arrived in some sort of corridor.

"Alright, here's the deal: You have to follow this corridor. There will be obstacles and traps and stuff. You just avoid them and continue. The corridor goes in a complete circle so you'll come back here and run through the same obstacles again and again."

'Again and again?' she thought.

"So it's like some kind of race?"

"…You could say that. But you don't have to run. You can walk as slowly as you want. There is only one rule: you can't stop."

"What do you mean?"

"You can walk very very slowly if you wish, but you can't stop completely. I you do, then I'll reset your time and you'll have to start over again, like the mushroom test."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, "oh". So just don't stop no matter what".

Verica gulped. She was not particularly in shape, but she should be ok if she walked.

"You start whenever you want." Bashu said.

Verica looked ahead; she took a deep breath and started to walk at a normal pace. I would be best to do the first lap slowly to see the obstacles and accelerate when she would be used to the terrain.

She arrived at the first corner and turned left. It was filled with water and there were pillars just above the water. The whole corridor was like that. She jumped on the first pillar, then the second, etc. She tried to keep a steady pace while she jumped. She reached the other side and turned left once again. This corridor was also flooded. There was a 2 inch-large plank to cross the water. But there were blocks of wood coming in and out of the walls on each side at different height. There were pumping like piston and Verica had to jump and crouch every second not to be pushed in the water. She crossed the corridor, quite proud of herself. She turned left again and faced her last challenge. Deep water everywhere again. There were metal bars between the walls. She reached for the first one and crossed the corridor like a monkey. She arrived to the other side and turned left again, to the corridor she'd started to.

'Well, it wasn't that hard after all' she thought. Bashu was not there anymore. He was probably watching her from somewhere else. She was really pumped! She had done well on her first lap and it motivated her. She ran and finished her second lap with ease. She continued like this for a while. At some point she lost count of her laps. The monkey bars were getting hard on her arms. She had no idea how much time she'd passed here, but she was getting tired. Her back hurt from crouching on the 2 inch plank too, but she continued to move forward. She was breathing heavily. She'd never made such a difficult exercise before. She felt like her heart was about to stop, her lungs burned, her legs hurt like hell and she tasted iron in her mouth. She was slowing down with every lap. Even the plain corridor was getting hard to cross. She didn't know the time, but surely she should have felt hungry by now. Strangely she didn't. Her whole body was hurting so much; her stomach was the least of her worries. She was not running anymore now. She was walking, slower and slower after every lap.

She was spending more time on each pillar…more time on each metal bar. She was barely able to jump above the blocks. When she was in the plain corridor, she breathed so heavily and walked so slowly…she looked like a zombie. She had completely lost track of time. She had lost track of her own thoughts as well. All her brain could do was praying to God and asking him to help her. She didn't know how she managed to keep on, but every time she thought she would give up, that her lungs would explode, that her heart would stop or that her legs would abandon her, she was able to find a little bit of strength buried deep inside her to continue. She felt like a mere bystander to her own body…like her soul had taken control of her body and it was all automatic. Still, her body was begging her to stop this torture, but her mind was inflexible. After a moment, her body stopped hurting. She couldn't feel anything anymore, not even the ground under her feet. All she could feel was her heart pounding and resonating in her entire body…

* * *

><p>"Hey, Kenneth!"<p>

Kenneth turned around to see Bashu. "Hey. How's she doing?"

"She's still doing the test. I'm going to her now, wanna come with me?"

"Sure" Kenneth said with a smile. He was happy to be able to see her at last.

They both walked to the abbey and to the test ground.

"Why did you asked me to come with you?" Kenneth asked.

"Well, since you monitored her all day on her mushroom test, I thought you would like to actually speak to her and tell her how proud of her you are haha" Bashu said with a laugh.

"…What is that suppose to mean?"

"It's ok Kenneth. I don't know why she's so important to you and honestly, I don't want to know. In any case, I take back what I said the other day: you would be a great sensei for her."

"And why? I thought I didn't have enough experience…" Kenneth asked, a bit suspicious.

"Yeah, but as I said, you obviously care a lot about her! I know you won't let anything bad happen to her and that you'll take her apprenticeship very seriously. Beside, you'll never gain experience if you never have a student. Yeah, I hope Yolene-sama will let you teach her" Bashu explained with a smile.

"….Thank you." Kenneth said, a little taken aback by what he just said. Bashu just smiled at him as they went down the stairway.

* * *

><p>Verica finished the monkey bar and turned to the first corridor and saw Bashu, with Kenneth beside him. She walked to them until she was a few feet away from them, then Bashu told her to stop. Verica fell to her knee and immediately the pain came back. Her breath was shaky and heavy. The pain in her legs and arms came back as well as the iron taste in her mouth. She coughed loudly, her hand on her heart and her head bowed. She felt dizzy. She started to feel hungry as well.<p>

"Well done" Kenneth said with a smile filled with compassion.

"What…what time is...is it?" She asked, her voice harsh as she looked up to them.

"It's lunchtime" he answered.

"What?! That's…that's impossible!...I've been here…much longer than…than that!"

"Yeah, you started yesterday morning" Bashu said.

"…What?"

"You've been here an entire day"

"…This is impossible!"

"That's why it's not everyone that can become a monk" Bashu said with a smile as he crouched to be at eye-level with her "When the body is solicited beyond a certain point, it enters some kind of trance and it can sustain an abnormal effort. It is very hard to reach this trance. Usually, people give up before that. That's what the prayer is for. It awakens your body and your soul as two distinct being and gives them power. Even if your body can't take it anymore, your mind tells it to continue anyway and your body can't do anything but follow. That's why it's important for a monk to train his body, but to train his mind as well!"

Verica's brain was like stew. She wasn't getting a word of what he was saying…

"Now, one last question: you didn't stop did you?"

"O-of course not!"

"And why didn't you stop?"

Verica looked at him in confusion "well…you said not…not to stop..."

"Yeah, but who told you that I was watching you?" he said "You could have stopped and I wouldn't have known it."

"...What?! But…I…what's the point?!"

"Even if you didn't see him watching you, you assumed he was and followed his orders." Kenneth explained "This is the same with God. We don't have proof that he is monitoring us, but we must still follow his ways, no matter how hard it is. It takes a certain kind of spirit, a certain kind of personality to understand that and to accept it. You showed that you had the mind needed to be a monk, as well as the body."

Verica looked at Kenneth and tried to understand, but her head hurt and her vision was blurry…

She passed out on the ground. Kenneth and Bashu looked at each other as they smiled. This brought back memory. Everyone pass out after this test, it's such a huge effort. Eventually with training, monks can do this kind of exercise relatively easily. Kenneth bent down beside her and took her in her arm, bridal style.

"Only one test left" Bashu said "What do you think?"

"She will pass, there's no doubt about it" Kenneth said as he went up the stairs. Bashu followed behind him. They left the Abbey and Kenneth brought her back to the sanctuary and put her on a bed to let her rest. Kenneth stayed in front of her for a moment and watched her. Carly arrived at the same moment and watched him.

"Hm, your interest for her is...unsettling Kenneth. Are you…in love with her or something?" She said with a disappointed look.

"FOR GOD'S SAKE!" Kenneth yelled as he turned toward Carly. There goes THE question again. Once? ok. Twice? Well…irritating, but ok. Thrice? Fuck this! Was it some sort of conspiracy? Had everybody decided to get on his nerve? "What's wrong with all of you?! FUCK, she's 11 years younger! I don't even know her! Are you doing this on purpose to annoy me?!" Everybody in the sanctuary turned toward them. Bashu and Carly took a step back, not used to see Kenneth lose his temper like this. Love had always been a delicate subject with him. None of them ever had the guts to ask why.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to insult you Kenneth!" Carly said.

Kenneth sighed "It's just that it's the third time someone asks me that. I am NOT in love with her and I don't feel anything improper toward her either! I just have a strange feeling, which is NOT love. It's...complicated."

"Alright alright…I just found it strange, that's all".

He sighed again "…please just don't ask questions."

"it's ok Kenneth, I believe you. It's just…" her voice went down, barely above a whisper "…You know, I thought that maybe it was why you declined…"

"We already talked about this Carly." Kenneth said, whispering as well. "It had nothing to do with you. I just can't. Not with you, not with her, not with anyone."

Bashu decided it was his cue to leave, so he subtly made his way outside. Carly just looked at Kenneth with the same wounded expression she had the first time this conversation occurred. And it saddened Kenneth as much as it did back then...

"Carly, don't make that face please. It's not my intention to hurt you. I care about you, you know it. But-"

"Stop it Kenneth. You're right. I shouldn't have brought it back, I'm sorry…"

"Carly…"

"I hope you protégé will do well on her last test" she said with a brilliant smile "The last one is the hardest, but I'm sure she'll do well!"

"…Y-yeah."

"I'll go for a walk now… see ya later!" she said as she left, smile still in place.

Kenneth stayed where he was for a long moment. His attention went back to Verica, then he sighed and sat on the bed beside hers. Women…they were so much trouble.

* * *

><p>And that's it… :) Thank you very much for reading<p> 


	4. 1:Personal problem

So there you go...not much happen in this chapter. I just...wanted to make it clear that this fanfiction is a romance...don't expect otherwise.

**Edit: This chapter has been corrected :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4 Personnal problem<strong>

"I suppose you all know why you're here, but I'll tell you anyway" The head master said to the monks gathered in front of her in the abbey.

Kenneth looked around him. Everyone here were champions. Beside Yolene were Moohae, Tomoon, Touha and another old monk...which name escaped him at the moment. They were the four members of the council. This could only mean one thing...

"As you know, we have a new apprentice presently taking the tests." Yolene continued. "If you are here, it means that this girl might become your student. We gathered you here to let you know. The rest of the council and I will discuss it and decide who will take her. We will let you know whom we chose".

Kenneth was surprised, but happy. Yolene had summoned him here, which means she had agreed on his request. A small victory. He took a step to leave with the others, but Moohae called him back.

"Kenneth, stay please."

...this can't be good

"I was surprised to see you here, but Yolene-sama told me you wished to have the Prontera girl as your student..."

"...it's true"

"You got some nerve, ASKING for a student, while you refused the ones we gave you in the past...you do realize how insolent your behavior is?"

Kenneth looked up to the head master, seeking support, but her eyes were closed. The others members were looking at him intently. He looked back to Moohae.

"I have made a request, nothing more. I didn't demand anything."

"Don't play with words..."

"Enough you two" Yolene said. "Kenneth, you may leave"

Kenneth bowed to the council and walked out of the room. He closed the door behind him. He took a step to leave the abbey...but then stopped. He turned around and listened to what the council was saying. It was so wrong to do this...but he needed to know what the other members thought.

"Moohae, if I didn't know any better, I would think you have something against him" Tomoon said.

"I just spoke my mind." Moohae replied "as I said, Kenneth dismissed the previous students. Now he wants to become a sensei? Why should he choose his student?"

"But even if we consider him in our choice, it doesn't mean we will choose him" Tomoon said. "I believe it is only fair to at least consider him."

"But he never wanted to become a sensei" Tooha replied.

"And? Only fools don't change their mind." Tomoon said.

"Let Moohae finish you two" said the fourth monk.

Kenneth looked around him to be sure no one saw him eavesdropping. He clenched his fists as he closed his eyes. Moohae would never let him teach...but if the other members of the council thought him wrong…he still had a chance.

"Being a sensei is not for him" Mooae said to the other monks "Sure, he is a genius, becoming a champion at such a young age, but does he really have the wisdom to show the way to a new monk?"

"It is true that he is rather young to be a sensei" Touha said.

"And so are many others monks we summoned earlier. We are very few...many of us are too old to teach now. There aren't many monks with "the perfect teaching age" around anymore." The fourth monk replied.

"Let's be honest here" Moohae said as he crossed his arm "He is a good monk...but letting him teach would be an error. He foolishly refused the title before, which means he doesn't care. To be a sensei, your student must be your priority...Kenneth is too young! He doesn't have the experience to fully realize the impact of his action! To let him teach to this girl would only make him more selfish and insolent...He will think he can have anything he wants..."

"Moohae-san, if Kenneth became a champion, it's because he was wise enough to carry that title. God does not let anyone become a champion..." Tomoon pointed.

"We are wasting time here" said the fourth monk "Whether we should consider him or not is irrelevant. Let's study this case like any other. We'll go through all the potential sensei and we will see if he makes it to our final choices."

"Vran is right" Touha said.

"Yes...let's eliminated 5 of them so there will be only 3 to choose from if she passes." Yolene said.

Kenneth heard footstep behind him so he immediately removed his ear from the door and walked away as if he had just walked out of the room. He passed by the person and turned the corner, where he stopped.

He turned his back to the wall and sat on the ground. Only three monks would be considered. Maybe it was possible. He stayed there for a very long moment, thinking. After a while, he heard footsteps in the corridor. Moohae arrived and stopped in front of him. Kenneth stood up as Moohae turned toward him.

"Like teacher like student, Kenneth. You thought I would have let you teach? Mathias is a fool and he never should have taught you. It is not your fault and I'm sorry for you, but I will not let someone else be ruined by this...blasphemous idiot's teachings!"

Kenneth looked at him with a scornful look "I am not Mathias"

"You will taught what you have been taught...it's the same as if you were him"

"Maybe you should just kill me." Kenneth said "That would be a simpler way to get rid of Mathias' `bad teaching`".

"I'll consider it" Moohae said as he walked away.

Kenneth waited a little. After a moment he turned to face the wall and punched it, cracking the wall and almost making a hole in it. He pressed his head against it and took a deep breath. He was loosing his temper again. What was wrong with him? Ever since he met that girl he became a slave to his emotions. He was too involved in all this. He had to let it go...he had to regain control over himself. He turned his back to the wall and let himself slide until he was sitting on the floor. He took his head between his hands and stayed like this for a long moment.

Maybe Mathias was right. That girl was dangerous for him. The image of her eating his heart...it couldn't mean anything good. He was so ashamed of himself. One moment he wanted to do anything to teach her...the other he didn't care anymore…and the other he simply didn't want to be near her at all...this was…freaking confusing. He should at least make up his mind. Did he really want to teach her that badly…was he willing to go through all this mental torture with Moohae. No, of course not...enough was enough. He had to find peace again...yes, peace.

Kenneth stood up and left the abbey. He walked to his spot at the cliff to the south. He sat there and started meditating. Things would be easier after. He would be able to look at the situation with a cleared mind.

* * *

><p>The sun was completely covered by clouds. It was somewhere around lunchtime when Kenneth opened his eyes again. He looked straight in front of him and took a deep breath.<p>

"Now...let's be rational" He told himself.

He stood up and turned around to go to the sanctuary to see Verica and wait for her to wake up, if she was not already. There was no point in worrying now about this whole mess. There was nothing he could do, really. If the council chose him, which he highly doubted after what Moohae had said, he would do everything to prove Moohae wrong and make this young girl the best damn monk Midgard had ever seen. If not...it didn't really matter. He could still keep an eye on her. For the moment, he just had to…work for her, go to her and make sure she's alright…make sure she's ready for what is coming...and let her know that he would not be her sensei. As he walked, he saw Carly.

"Hey, Carly!"

She stopped, but didn't turn around. She started to walk again and ignored him. Kenneth stopped as well. What was wrong with her ...ah...right... that last conversation... shit. Now she wouldn't talk to him anymore? Wonderful...he had to speak to her. His sanity was already low enough like this, he didn't need to lose a friend.

But he had lost sight of her...so he just walked to the sanctuary and sat on Verica's bed...and waited for her to wake up, until Carly entered the room. Kenneth stood up as she walked toward him.

* * *

><p>"Please, Kenneth, I didn't come here to talk about that"<p>

Verica was woken up by a feminine voice, but she didn't open her eyes.

"I don't like misunderstanding."

That was Kenneth's voice. Who was he talking to?

"There is no misunderstanding Kenneth."

"Then why did you ignore me back then?"

"I don't know what you are talking about"

"I don't want to lose you because of a misunderstanding..."

"There is no misunderstanding..."

"Arrgh! Carly! Would you please tell me what is wrong? I've got enough worries as it is!"

"Then sorry to add up to your list!"

"That's...that's not what I meant..."

'This conversation is...none of my business' Verica thought. 'But I can't just interrupt them!'

"It's about that last conversation we had isn't it." Kenneth said "Of course it is. Uurrgh, you know I suck with words! If I said something to offend you, I'm really sorry!"

"You really don't understand anything. Why people call you a genius is beyond me" the girl yelled.

There was a long silence. Just when Verica was about to open her eyes and let them know that she was awake, the girl talked.

"...you will never understand Kenneth. I told you that I loved you" the girl whispered "and you made it clear that there would never be anything between us. You can't return my feelings and I understand that but...you keep saying that you care about me and that you don't want to lose me and...Do you have any idea how confusing it is?"

"…But...but I do care for you! Life is not just about romantic love and absolute hate"

"See? I told you, you wouldn't understand."

"Then explain me!"

'I shouldn't listen like this' Verica thought. She tried in vain to mentally block her ears and to think about something else. She ended up listening to the conversation anyway...

"...it hurts me. Can you understand that? I love you...but the fact that it is not mutual is killing me."

"But I do care..."

"But you don't love"

"...Love is not for monks. You can't love God unconditionally and love someone else on the same level. Love feeds on your soul...it consumes you and eventually there is no place left in your heart for God...or peace."

"...you speak like a priest"

"Carly..I can't give you what you want"

"...yeah...how could you? You wouldn't even try…"

"...I don't want you to be angry at me...I care about you..."

Verica heard the girl sigh.

"Kenneth stop it!" The girl said as her voice grew louder "You still don't understand! Stop saying that you care! It hurts me to think about it so please just let me get over you in peace! I shouldn't have brought it back last time, it's my fault. So let it go please."

Then there was a silence...a heavy silence. She felt tension building up and all she wanted to do was open her eyes and see what was going on. She didn't dare though. She waited for Kenneth to say something. After several minutes, which looked like an eternity, Kenneth broke the silence.

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be..."

'...wow...I can't just get up now; they will know I was listening.' Verica thought.

"Wha..what did you want to talk about?" Kenneth said

"It's about...I intend to leave soon." Carly answered.

"Leave?"

"Yes. For Juno. To become a Champion"

"Does Moohae knows about it?"

"Not yet...you know how he is. He thinks I'll never be ready."

"You think you are?"

"Yes..I..I wanted to talk about it with you but..."

"But what?"

"...I'll just...we'll talk another time"

"...You know where to find me."

"Yes.."

Then Verica heard the girl left.

There was another silence. Verica waited before getting up, so he wouldn't know she was awake all along. But...

"I know you're awake" Kenneth said.

'...shit'

Verica opened her eyes. Kenneth was looking at her, his face devoid of emotions. She gave him a cheap smile as she sat up.

"...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to spy on you. I just didn't want to interrupt."

"hm"

He looked away. Verica was afraid that she'd done a big mistake here...but eventually he looked back at her with a smile.

"How do you feel?"

"I...I'm hungry...and my body hurt"

"That's normal. Come, let's go eat".

Kenneth got up and walked toward the cafeteria. Verica followed him on her shaky legs. They sat in front of each other with their food.

"Today is your last test; do you feel ready for it?"

"Well...if I don't need to go beyond my physical strength again, yes, I should be ok."

"hm...Good".

This man was not the man she'd met in Prontera. He was cold and his smile was fake...what happened? Was it all just because of that girl Carly? Whatever it was, she felt uncomfortable with him now. She looked at her food and ate in silence. She didn't dare look at him anymore.

"The last test is the hardest you know. And it's the most important."

She didn't answer.

"But have faith in God and everything will go well."

She remained silent.

"It is very dangerous though...It could kill you"

She poked her food.

"And...Are you listening to me?"

"Yes" she said, still looking at her food.

Kenneth sighed. He lifted her chin with his finger. Verica's eyes met his but she looked to the side immediately.

"...look at me"

She did. He looked at her the same way he'd done at the Prontera gate. His smile was sincere and his eyes seemed sorry. He removed his hand from her chin as he looked to the side, like he was ashamed.

"I'm sorry for my behavior. My personal problems are none of your business" he said with an apologetic smile.

"It's that girl?"

"..."

"I'm sorry...it's none of my business..."

Kenneth sighed heavily again "no offence...but woman are just...not the easiest thing for me to deal with...or understand"

"It's easy, what she wants..."

Kenneth looked at her in confusion. She returned his gaze and spoke without thinking.

"She loves you. As in romance, as in I want to marry you. You love her. As in friend, as in I like to spend time with you."

"...I...eh..."

"You can't return her feelings. But that will not make her feelings go away you know. She will continue to love you no matter what. And you just keep telling her that you love her..."

"I never said I loved her"

"You did"

"...what?"

"You just didn't mean it the same way as her. And it makes sense for you. But for her, every time you say that you care for her, or that you don't want to lose her, or anything else that means `I love you`, she will be reminded that you don't LOVE her the way she would want to...and it hurts her every time."

"...and...I should just...ignore her?"

"Step on your personal happiness for a while. I mean...even if you want to spend time with her, don't. Don't seek her out. Let her come back to you. When she does, it will be as a friend, not as a desperate lover."

Kenneth blinked many times as he looked at her in utter disbelief. Did he just receive relationship advice from a 16 years old acolyte? God had a very unsettling sense of humour these days...

But...what she said kind of made sense...

"But...what do I know" Verica said as she looked at him with a devilish smile "I'm just a 16 years old girl...with a priest education, probably better not to listen to me eh?"

Kenneth blinked again...and then he realized what she had just said and laugh " Ha, well, you're a woman. That's more expertise than I will ever have!"

She gave him a big smile and then she continued to eat. Kenneth's smile was back as well...

"Thank you"

"It's nothing" Verica said "so...what were you saying about that test?"

"Ah, yes, the test. Well, I can't tell you much, except that...it is very dangerous. I will not lie to you, it could kill you. As I said, this is the last one. If you pass, you will be assigned a sensei and start your training."

"And.. do you know who my sensei will be"

Kenneth stopped eating for a moment then looked at her with a wounded look. He stared at her for a moment than looked to the side.

"..No...But it won't be me"

"Oh...ok..." Verica said surprised.

Kenneth looked back at her.

"...I'm sorry"

"Don't be" she said with a smile "honestly I don't really care."

I was Kenneth's turn to look surprised

"...really?"

"I want to be a monk. I'm grateful to you for bringing me here and teaching me what a monk was and also for taking care of me like this. But if your head master think I should be taught by someone else, that's fine by me" she said with a bright smile. The brightest smile Kenneth had ever seen her make.

He looked at her in surprise and was taken aback. He was sure she would be...upset. Apparently he was more disappointed than she was...

"Well...I'm glad that's how you're taking it. Once we are finished, I'll take you to Tomoon. He will take care of you for the test"

Once they were done, Kenneth took her back to the abbey. They went down a stairway that was even longer than the one she had taken last time. They arrived in a small room, but Kenneth didn't stop there. He just continued straight to the door on the other side. They passed by some sort of coffin tied down with chains and a man seated beside it. On the coffin was a carving of a humanoid goat with a scythe...was that...The great demon Baphomet? She turned toward Kenneth to ask him, but the look on his face and the way he hurried to the door told her that it was probably best to keep quiet about it.

The other room was identical to the first. It was very bright and a large old man stood in the middle. He frowned as he looked down at her. He was...intimidating...

"Welcome young girl" He said with a very deep voice

"Th..Thank you"

"Thanks for bringing her here Kenneth"

"Tomoon...about the council..."

"You know I can't tell you anything"

"...yes, of course." Kenneth looked down to Verica with a smile "Good luck" and then he left.

The moment he disappeared, Verica felt alone...awkward and very small in front of this big man.

"You passed all the tests, congratulation. But the real test, the only one that really matters, is the one you're going to pass now" the man said.

Verica nodded as she looked up to him, trying to look confident.

"All you need to know is this: Terminate every living thing in your way!"

"...what?"

"You will go through a maze. If you encounter any evil creature, and you will, kill them! Release their tortured souls! We are not priests and we shall not be compared to them. Those weakling priests...cowering behind the strength of others. We are monks and all we need to accomplish the word of God are our fists! So focus! Keep your fists tight, your eyes open and your heart at peace. Let's see if you got what it takes to be a true monk!"

"..y..yes sir!" Verica said.

God, this man really hated priest...

The man opened a portal in front of her in which Verica entered with all the confidence that she could gather...which was not a lot...

* * *

><p>I hope you're not too disapointed :) and that you'll continue to read. The character of Tomoon is a real NPC in the game and is basically what inspired me this story at first. Because he clearly says that he hates priest and that's what gave me the idea that monks and priest probably hate each other in RO :P<p> 


	5. 1:Welcome, Sister

Hello again :) Again, the test is based on the real test in RO. The monk's vows are also the real in-game oaths :)

**Edit: This chapter has been corrected :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5 welcome, sister<strong>

Verica had been teleported to a big room with nothing in it. The maze Tomoon spoke of was probably on the other side of that door at the back. She walked forward but she collided with a wall.

'...what the?'

She got up and touched the "wall" in front of her with her hand. Yes, that was a wall, an invisible one.

'Right...so this is the maze after all...' she thought.

She moved forward with her hands in front of her. She wandered randomly, trying to get to the door. As she neared the center, she heard noises behind her. She turned around and got face to face with a ghoul!

She screamed and moved back. Fortunately there was an invisible wall between them. She stayed there and looked at the monster. It was walking slowly along the wall to reach her side. Eventually it did. She continued to move back until she hit a wall, but another ghoul appeared at her left. Soon, they would both be on her...and she couldn't get away without fighting one of them.

She had...never fought real enemies before. She breathed heavily... her legs shook and her hands were sweaty. She felt like crying. She had been wrong, so wrong! This was not for her! She was not a fighter! She looked at the disfigured monsters walking slowly toward her. She wanted to scream for help, but there was no one to help her. Even if there was, no sound was coming out of her throat.

She put her hand on her chest to calm her breathing. Her hand touched something cold. Her acolyte cross. She looked at it and images ran through her mind. She remembered her encounter with Kenneth at the church where she had commented on his cross...and then she remembered their first meeting in the street. What had happen? He had laughed at her...why?

The Ghouls were almost on hers. She didn't know why but all she could think about was this memory. She needed to remember.

There was this boy flirting with her. She'd punched him and Kenneth had found it really funny...

She had...punched him...

She heard a creepy moan in front of her. She looked up and the first ghoul was a feet away from her. She screamed and closed her eyes. She hadn't been afraid of the swordsman. She shouldn't be of this...thing either. She visualized the young boy and punched the monster. It was knocked back on the other ghoul.

Verica opened up her eyes. The two ghouls were on the ground trying to get up in a very clumsy way. She was breathing more quickly than she thought her lungs were able to handle. She looked at her hands and remembered something she had said to Kenneth. She had said that...those hands were meant to serve God, but not by healing others. They were meant to slay God's enemies. She meant it really! The problem now was just that...she was so scared. Her fights were never real. She was never in real danger. But these ghouls could really kill her and...It scared her so much...

One of the ghouls got up and walked back to her. Without second thoughts, Verica punched him again. She didn't want to die. If she didn't want to die, she had to get rid of those monsters and get to the door! If she gave in to her fear and crouched in a corner crying, she would be eaten for sure! Now was no time to cry!

She kicked the ghoul on the ground, preventing it from getting up again. She kicked more times than she cared to count, until the monster didn't move anymore. It was nothing more than a pile of flesh on the ground, unrecognizable. There was blood everywhere on her and on the ground. She jumped on the other ghoul and punched it the same way, until she was hitting the floor. She spitted to remove the blood that had gotten into her mouth and got up. She looked back at the door and resumed her quest to reach it. Many other ghouls blocked her way, but it was either her of them…and it was not going to be her! She was not thinking anymore. Her heart was beating like crazy and she could feel it in her fists every time she hit something. Sometimes, she could even feel the presence of ghouls attacking her from behind. Like the other test, she felt like a spectator to her own body. She was not even aware of all the blood she was covered in, which normally would have disgusted her.

All that mattered was to get out alive.

She finally reached the door. She walked through it and stepped into a portal. She was warped back to Tomoon. Her heavy breath betrayed her tiredness.

"Well well well. That's what I like to see! A young acolyte covered in monster's blood, the prettiest sight in the world" he said with a smile and a hint of pride in his eyes.

Verica looked up at him with a small smile. This was...probably a compliment. She looked down and knelt on the ground. Her legs couldn't support her anymore. Tomoon crouched in front of her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You did well. Here, drink this."

He gave her a bottle filled with some green liquid. She opened it and smelled it.

"Come on now, it's not poison or anything"

She looked at him with a perplex look...then back at the potion. She drank it and gave back the bottle to Tomoon. A white flash blinded her for a moment. As her vision came back, she felt disoriented, but her legs didn't hurt anymore and her breathing was normal.

"There, better?"

"...yes."

Tomoon got up and helped Verica getting up as well.

"Congratulations, young sheep. You passed!"

Verica looked up at him as she smiled widely. She had done it, for real!

"Go rest. Tomorrow, come to the church and we will welcome you to our rank properly"

"Th..Thank you sir!"

"Call me Tomoon"

"Y..Yes, sorry Tomoon"

Verica walked away and left the abbey. She was overjoyed, but she didn't know how to express it without looking crazy. So she just kept it to herself as she walked toward the sanctuary. She was lost in her thoughts and, inevitably, she bumped into someone. She fell on the ground but the other person stayed up. She looked up at the woman

"I am so sorry ma'am!" Verica said as she got up. "I was distracted. I didn't hurt you I hope! I'm terribly sorry!"

The woman looked at her and smiled. She had very long grey hair with some brown ones, all tied up in a ponytail. She looked old because of her hair, but her face didn't really match it.

"It's ok young girl...Are you...Verica?"

"I...yes" Verica said surprised.

"I take it you don't know who I am"

"...I'm afraid not ma'am"

"Haha, well, tell me then, did you pass your last test? From all that blood on you I suppose you did."

"I did!" She answered with a bright smile. She was happy to say it to someone, even if she didn't know that person...

"Did you? That is wonderful. That means we will have to choose you a sensei."

"...wait...you mean...are you...the head master?"

"That would be me, yes" The woman said with a proud smile.

"oh! oh! I'm so sorry! I...I didn't know!" Verica said as she crouched and bowed.

"Haha! Please girl! I'm not a queen! No need to kiss the floor around me!"

Verica got up shyly.

"I believe that Kenneth brought you here, isn't it?"

"Yes...master"

"You would probably like him to be your sensei, since you already know him"

"Well...it is true that I feel comfortable with him. But...he told me that he had never taught before and that he didn't know if you would let him teach me."

"Did he now?" The head master said as she squinted.

"He is not very old...so I suppose he is too young to have an apprentice yet...something like that. I understand. If you assign me to someone else, I'm sure it would be for the best".

"...Really?"

"I'm grateful to him. But if someone else can teach me better than him...then I want that person, not him".

Yolene looked at the girl intensely for a moment in silence. Verica felt like she was shrinking under her gaze...she was by far the most intimidating person she had ever met...and she had met a lot of intimidating person in the last few days. No wonder she was the head master.

"I'm glad you're taking this seriously, Verica" She said as her expression changed to a smile. "Go rest, you've earned it. We will meet again tomorrow at the church."

"Thank you, master" Verica replied.

The old woman continued her walk. Verica looked at her for a moment before going back to the sanctuary where she went to bed. The sound of her heart beating startled her. She was able to ignore it during the day now, but once she was back to bed, it always came back. She still had a hard time to sleep with it, but eventually her exhaustion would win over it.

* * *

><p>"So she passed after all?" Vran said to Tomoon.<p>

"She did. I didn't think she would at first, but she surprised me" he replied.

"Very well then" Yolene said "We must decide who will be her sensei. As you know, we eliminated many candidates. Now we must choose between Bashu, Merril and...Kenneth."

"I believe Merril would be best" Moohae said.

"Yes, Merril would be best for her. Bashu is too busy right now." Touha continued.

"...Well...I believe we should let Kenneth handle it" Tomoon said.

"What? You can't be serious!" Moohae replied.

"I believe it would be interesting." Tomoon said

"This is not a game to watch and enjoy! We must think of what is best for the girl!"

"If Kenneth really wants to teach her, it means he cares. If he really cares that much, then I believe he will do a good job"

"No, he is too young. Besides, he can't just choose the student he wants" Touha said.

"But Tomoon is right." Vran said "If he really wants to...it means he cares. I vote for Kenneth too. We must all start somewhere"

"That's...I will not stand for this!"

" Calm down Moohae" Yolene said.

"Well, it's two for Merril and two for Kenneth...Yolene-sama...you'll have the last word I'm afraid" Touha pointed.

"Yolene-sama, I..."

"You've made your point, Moohae-san. I will consider your opinion and choose. You'll know tomorrow at the church, with the others." Yolene said as she got up and left.

She went to the church and sat at the front seat. She looked up at the giant cross and closed her eyes.

"Looking for guidance, Sunshine?"

Yolene looked behind her and saw Mathias...with his bottle of rum...

"Could you at least try to hide it? Or pretend that you're ashamed of drinking on holy ground, even if you're not" she said with a small laugh.

"Ah, I could, but I just love to see your disapproving look every time you see me with it!" he said as he sat beside her and took a sip.

"You stupid old man" she replied with a smile.

"So... did Kenneth make it to the final round?"

"...He did. It's between him and Merril"

"Ah yes...Merril would be a great sensei for her I believe"

"You would choose her?"

"No"

"...you're so not helping me Mathias"

"Here, that will help you" he said as he passed her his bottle. She looked at it, then at the cross, then back at the bottle. Finally she took it under the satisfied look of Mathias.

She drank some of the rum and sighed "It is not helping"

"Whoever you choose, it doesn't matter"

"What do you mean?"

"I know my boy. He's obsessed with his dream. Even if he is not her sensei, he will still do everything to be around her."

"...you may be right, but the question here is; what is best for the girl?"

"The girl would probably be pleased with Kenneth"

"No, she told me she didn't care. She wants to be taught by a good teacher, not necessarily Kenneth. She's a good girl, and wise for her age".

"Hm..."

"You would want me to choose Kenneth don't you? So that your teachings could be passed on."

"Not at all. My...teachings should probably never be taught to anyone else. I don't know by what miracle Kenneth ended up the way he is, but certainly it is no thanks to me"

"You are too hard on yourself"

"..Maybe."

They drank in silence for a moment. Yolene was thinking hard, trying to make up her mind. Really it was not easy. She cared for Kenneth and she wanted to give him a chance. But was it for the best?

"This shouldn't be so hard to decide" she said "I'm getting too soft with the years"

"Hahaha, that, I agree! Seriously though... if you base your decision on the question `what is best`, then let me ask you this, Sunshine: What is best? A highly skilled champion, or a highly skilled champion who cares for her?"

"...when you put it that way...but Moohae..."

"You know perfectly why Moohae doesn't want Kenneth to teach. Screw that old fart, he doesn't deserve you to worry about his opinion! That coward should take out his anger on me, not on my boy!"

"You know, sometimes I think you should be head master in my place"

"Oh please don't say that. Bad things happen when I'm in charge! People die and the last thing you know, I'm drunk somewhere without my pants on and I've got 3 women claiming I got them pregnant! Just ask Kenneth, he'll tell you!"

Yolene burst out in laughter. This man really knew how to talk to her. He laughed as well.

"Thank you Mathias" she said as she gave him back his bottle.

"Anytime Sunshine"

"Please stop calling me that. It is no longer appropriate."

"In public, of course not. But when we're alone, you will always be Sunshine" Mathias said as he got up and left.

Yolene stayed there for a moment and looked up at the ceiling. She would probably be there all night, trying to figure out what to do.

* * *

><p>Verica woke up excited. When she stood up, she realized that she had slept in her bloody clothes from the test...that was disgusting...<p>

She looked around her and she saw clothes beside her bed. There was a note with her name on it. She took the clothes in her hands and looked at them. Those were... monk's clothes! Wow, it was real! She really was a monk now! She got up and looked around to see if there was a place where she could change, away from the gaze of others. But...really there wasn't. Ever since she'd arrived, she had seen people getting changed right here in the dormitory. She had always looked away...

'..I suppose people will do the same...this is so embarrassing' she thought.

She started to remove her clothes as she looked around her. No one seemed to pay attention to her...

She got dressed and looked at herself. She could say that she was truly happy for one of the first time in her life. She left and went to the church.

She entered the church and many people were gathered there. In front of the hotel was the head master with four old people. She recognized Moohae, Touha and Tomoon. People were gathered to the side and they welcomed her as she passed. The closest to the front were Bashu, Kenneth and another girl with black hair. She didn't know why they were separated from the crowd. Her gaze met Kenneth's and she could see that he was really proud of her. She liked it...

"Welcome Verica. Come here" Yolene said.

Verica walked to the front of the church, in front of the head master.

"Welcome into our ranks, sister"

"Thank you master" She answered with a smile.

"Are you ready to take the vows?"

"Yes"

"Fine. Verica. Do you dedicate the remainder of your life to the pursuit of purity?"

"Yes"

"Will you take advantage of the abilities gained through our training to use for personal benefit?"

"No"

"Will you punish those who are against Truth and justice? Will you cooperate with other who have the same goals as yours and sacrifice yourself to achieve them? Are you willing to die for others on your monk's path of being a holy executioner?"

"Y..Yes"

"Then make your oath that you will keep these vows"

"..I vow to keep these oaths"

"My sister, your oath has been heard by all gathered here. We welcome you in our holy battle against evil"

Everyone in the church bowed lightly for a moment.

"I will now perform a pressure point technique on your body to fully awaken it as a monk. Close your eyes."

Verica did as she was told.

"Relax your body and breathe in deeply"

Verica felt fingers pressing on her stomach. Then on her arms, on her chest, on her thigh, everywhere. She started to feel dizzy. It was like the room was spinning around her. Maybe it was? She tried to open her eyes but she couldn't. The fingers continued to poke her. Her heartbeat increased and her legs started to shake. Actually...her whole body started to shake slightly. The fingers stopped pressing on her body and she heard a very distant voice.

"Open your eyes now, and see life through the eyes of a monk"

She opened her eyes and she was blinded by a flash of white again. She gasped as she felt her inside melt and a shiver ran through her entire body. She felt like she was being washed away by a gigantic wave and everything went blank...

Verica collapsed and Yolene caught her. She took her bridal style and turned toward the three champions. The rest of the crowd left. Kenneth held his breath. He had been very surprised to know that he was amongst the three remaining candidates, but now what. He didn't even know if he still wanted to teach her...what if he really was a horrible teacher after all...what if he was doing this for his own personal benefit...what if...

"Kenneth"

Kenneth snapped out of his thoughts and looked up to the head master.

"Here, bring your student to the sanctuary so she can rest"

Kenneth didn't move. He just stayed there, eyes wide and mouth open.

"Come on Kenneth" Bashu said as he left too "Don't tell me you're THAT surprised!"

"Congratulations Kenneth" Merril said "and good luck!"

"I...Th..Thanks.."

"Kenneth, would you take her from my arms please, I'm not as young as I look you know"

"Y..Yes..I mean..No...I mean...hum, thank you" Kenneth stuttered.

Yolene gave him the young monk with a smile, under the despising look of Moohae who left with heavy step. Carly, who was in the crowd, followed behind him.

Kenneth brought Verica to the sanctuary to lay her down on a bed. He looked at her in disbelief. It was real...the girl from his dream, right here in front of him and she would be for, at least, the next 10 years, as his student. Unbelievable. Now that it was done, all his effort you be concentrated on one thing: Proving Moohae wrong and transforming that girl into the best champion ever.

* * *

><p>There you go. I thought that maybe the description of the test was not long enough...you tell me I guess :) I was eager to finish this, because this is when the real deal begins! why? because she's finally a monk :B haha, shit just got real!<p>

And yeah..Kenneth is her sensei...no surprise there I guess lol :P

Thank you very much for reading :)


	6. 1:Corrupted Monk

There you go :) What happens in this chapter is not something that would normally happen in ragnarok online...but I hope you'll like it anyway :S

Reviews are ALWAYS appreciated :) I need to know what is wrong to correct it ;)

I also hope that my fighting scene is ok :P These things are just so hard to write!

And I'll stop saying what I hope and just let you read that damn chapter :P

**Edit: This chapter had been corrected :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6 Corrupted monk<strong>

"This is...not acceptable!" Moohae said, pacing up and down in the hall of the dead.

"Calm down sensei!" Carly said to the furious man.

"The head master is out of her mind. She's being manipulated!" he continued, ignoring Carly.

"You should give a chance to Kenneth..."

"A chance? Ah! Yes, of course! Give a chance to the blasphemous one! It will be too late for regrets when that poor girl is tainted by sin and evil"

"Don't you think you're exaggerating? Kenneth is a champion! Give him some credits!"

"The devil is a very cunning creature! Who knows what form he takes..."

"You think Kenneth is the devil!"

"...for him to become a champion so young...maybe he's not as pure as what we think…"

"Sensei...you're speaking nonsense!"

"That's no way to speak to your master!"

Carly sighed and took her head in her hands. There was no point in trying to talk some sense unto this man. The worst was that he really believed what he was saying...

"I must...do something..."

"Sensei...please, listen to me" Carly said as she put a hand on his shoulder. He removed it violently.

"Don't let him deceive you! You'll see! I'll show you all that you're being deceived."

"And what if you're the one being wrong?"

"God is guiding me, I cannot be wrong!" Moohae said as he left the hall.

Carly stayed behind. It was impossible to speak with this man...he'd become so strange over the last few years...or maybe he had always been like this and she'd just never realized it...

Moohae walked through St. Capitolina right to the Abbey. He went to the head master's office and stormed in. The head master's head rose up with surprise.

"Moohae-san! It wouldn't kill to knock first!"

He slammed his hands on the desk.

"Master, about Kenneth..."

"Not this again!"

"I don't know what you were thinking when you made this decision, but it was irresponsible of you!"

"Are you out of your mind? How dare you speak to me like this!"

"I will not rest as long as you don't come back on your decision!" He said, pointing his finger at her.

"You're taking this too personally! You're mistaken..."

"I can't be mistaken! God guides me!"

"That's enough" she snapped as she slammed her fist on the desk as well...the desk's legs broke with a loud cracking noise.

Moohae took a step back, but Yolene got up and caught him by the collar.

"You're making me lose my temper, Moohae!" she said in a low voice.

She sighed and released him. She sat back at her desk, now a few inches smaller...

"I know why you're against Kenneth. Your personal problems do not concern me!"

"You made a mistake!" Moohae yelled.

"Stop yelling!"

"..."

"...You're out of your mind Moohae...What's wrong with you? You doubt my leadership? My abilities to make decisions? Would you have me replaced? By you perhaps?"

"I would never have allowed him to teach! If I was in charge, I wouldn't have let him become a champion at all!"

"...Moohae...do you hear yourself? You do realize how ridiculous you look presently? Your quarrel with Mathias concerns you two, no one else! Weren't you two friends? There is a limit to rivalry you know!"

"Kenneth is just like Mathias! He's the fruit of his teachings! We must stop him before he brings us all to our end!"

"...That's it, I've had enough! Your jealousy has driven you mad Moohae! I want you to leave this office now! You are not to speak to Kenneth, or his new student! Don't even approach them! Go to your quarters while I decide what to do with you!"

"This is unacceptable! How can you not see? Mathias became champion at 30 years old, Kenneth at 27! Don't you see there's something shady in all this! Don't tell me they are just geniuses!"

"Are you trying to have me arrest you Moohae? Leave now or I'll make you! And you're not going to like it!" she yelled as she pointed towards the door.

Moohae stayed there for a moment, stunned. He finally left with clenched fist. It was not going to end like this...If the head master would not help him, then he would seek justice and truth himself...

* * *

><p>Verica woke up a few hours after her ceremony. She slowly pried her eyes open. She stayed down for a moment. She took a few minutes to remember where she was and what had happened.<p>

'I don't know what the head master did to me...but it was...incredible. I wouldn't mind going through this again..." She thought.

Then...she noticed a strange feeling within her. She could…feel something around her. She was not able to explain the sensation to herself. She stood up and looked around her. There was nothing special...just other monks, minding their own business...

...But that feeling...it was like...it was coming from those people...

She decided to ignore it...even if it was hard to. She got up and left the sanctuary. The moment she stepped outside, she ran into Kenneth.

"Hello there" he said with his warm smile.

"Hi Kenneth!"

"Hmm..I'm afraid I'll not let you call me like this anymore..." he said as he started to walk away. She followed him.

"...What? What's wrong? ...you changed your name?"

"Naha, no, of course not"

"What is it then?" she asked.

"Well...The thing is that monks are very attached to their tradition. It's important for them that a student call his teacher "sensei", because that's how it is, you know...like we call priests "father" or...stuff like that...it's not my decision but...I will lose any kind of credibility if you don't follow that tradition"

Verica looked at him with a raised brow.

"That's your way of telling me that you're my teacher?" she said, looking unimpressed.

"I...hum...yes...forgive my lack of seriousness in the matter..." He said awkwardly. This girl had become so serious...she was really no fun anymore...well, funny was never a very important quality for a monk anyway...but it was still a bit disappointing.

"You're serious, or this is a joke?" she asked.

"No no, I'm quite serious. I am you teacher from now on. You'll be stuck with me for...let's say...the next 10 years I'm afraid"

She stopped and looked at him for a moment with her emotionless face. Then she jumped and raised her hands in the air.

"Oh yeah!" she yelled.

Well, maybe she was not so serious after all.

"Eh calm down now!...I'm flattered, but I thought you didn't care who your teacher would be."

"...No but...I'm still happy it's you..." she said as she stopped her little victory dance. "And I thought that maybe your head master would be...more inclined to let you teach me if I showed her that I was taking this seriously."

"...Clever. But I hope you do take this seriously!"

"Of course I do!"

"You'd better. I won't lie to you, I'm not sure how good of a job I'll do with you..." he said

"...Why? You think I don't have what it takes? Even after I passed all the tests?" she asked, offended.

"I have no doubt about your capacities. I doubt mines."

"...You're that bad?" she said, teasing him.

"...We shall see" he said with a worried look.

Verica looked around her. "Where are we?"

"This is the training ground" he said as he looked around as well.

"Are you ready to start learning?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes!"

"Yes what?" he said with a devilish smile.

"Pfff...yes sensei!" she said with the same smile.

"Haha, I'm just teasing you, you know. I don't care how you call me, but..."

"Palm push strike!"

A second Kenneth was in front of Verica, the other, there was a gust of wind and Moohae was before her. She gasped as she looked to her left. She turned just in time to see Kenneth crashing on a wall and collapsing on the ground. She took a few steps back from Moohae, but he was not interested in her...

"Finally Kenneth, we can settle our "problem" Moohae said as he walked toward him.

Kenneth coughed as he got up. He staggered a little, but managed to straighten up.

"What's wrong with you Moo..arrrhg"

Moohae took him by the throat and crushed him on the wall again.

"What's wrong? You're what's wrong Kenneth!"

"You..You're crazy! I...uurg...your problem…with Mathias...d..doesn't..concern me!" He tried to move, but his muscle wouldn't listen to him. Moohae had rooted him...

"When trying to exterminate evil, it is wise to start at the base of the problem. Don't worry, Mathias is next"

"..kks...what the hell are you talking about?"

Verica was stunned. This was the man she had met on her first day here in the hall of the dead. What did he have against Kenneth? Was he going to kill him? She had to help him...but he looked so strong. Even Kenneth was not able to fight him...what could she hope to do?

'Whatever I do, I must do something...anything' she thought.

There was no time to think...it was a time for action.

"Holy light!"

It hit Moohae behind the head. He turned around toward Verica. This was nothing...it barely tickled him, and Verica knew it. But maybe it was enough...

A fraction of a second...that was all it took from Moohae's distraction for Kenneth to regain control over his body. He removed Moohae's hand from his throat. The old monk returned his attention to him and threw his fist at Kenneth's face, but he dodged by bending down.

"Ki explosion!"

Moohae was pushed back a few meters away and fell on his back. Verica saw 5 blue spheres appear around Kenneth.

"Leave!" He yelled to Verica as he ran toward Moohae who was getting up.

Kenneth tried to punch him, but every hit he tried to land on Moohae were dodged. He was too fast for him. Instead of fleeing, Verica decided to help her sensei...it was the least she could do.

"Agility!"

Kenneth turned toward Verica for a second "I told you to leave!"

Moohae hit him in the stomach. It took Kenneth's breath away and Moohae took the occasion to punch him several time as blue spheres appeared around him as well. Kenneth finally managed to get out of range to regain control. It's only then that he felt Verica's spell on him...that girl sure knew how to be useful.

Moohae rushed to him again, but this time Kenneth dodged and countered immediately.

"Ki explosion"

Again, Moohae was pushed back and stunned for a few second. Kenneth ran towards him and gave him a fast and powerful punch. He continued to punch him without a break, too fast for Moohae to stop him.

"Raging quadruple blow! Raging Trust! Tiger knuckle fist!"

Verica watched him in awe. So this was a monk's power... it was truly fearful...it was almost a dance and with her agility spell, she had trouble following his fist's movement...

Moohae moved back, staggering. He wiped the blood from his mouth. There was so much hatred in his eyes. Kenneth took a moment to look at him...He felt something strange. There was something not human within him...an unholy presence...but there was no time to investigate. Moohae rushed toward him as electricity came out of his body and blue spheres appeared again.

Kenneth prepared for him...but Moohae disappeared halfway and reappeared behind Kenneth in a second. Kenneth had no time to react, nor did Verica. Everything went too fast. She saw a white light and black smoke in Moohae's hand. She didn't know what it was...but it was obvious that it wouldn't do any good to Kenneth if it hit him! She screamed and ran toward Kenneth in despair...there was no way she would make it in time!

Kenneth barely turned around and Verica saw a horrified look on his face when he saw Moohae's hand. He tried to move back but his hand was already a few inches from him...

"Azura Strike!"

A white light blinded Verica. She closed her eyes as she heard a loud noise, like something very heavy had hit the ground. When she opened her eyes again, she saw the two monks standing through the black smoke. For a moment, she dared to hope that her new teacher was alright... but then she saw Kenneth fall to his knee.

"Kenneth!" she yelled as she ran in his direction.

Moohae turned toward her. As he was about to punch her, Mathias appeared between them.

He deflected Moohae's attack, took Verica in his arm and teleported a few feet away from Moohae. At the same time, two other monks appeared from behind Moohae and struck him, immobilizing him on the ground.

"Are you alright girl?" Mathias asked Verica.

"...Y...Yes..but Kenneth..." she looked in his direction.

She saw him struggling to get up, in vain. She ran toward him, Mathias behind her. He tried again to get up and managed to stand on his arms, even if they were shaking violently.

"Are you ok Kenneth?" she asked him.

"..." he didn't answer. He started to cough loudly until he spitted blood...a lot of blood. He was almost choking on it...

Verica watched in horror as Kenneth shook and moaned, coughing more and more blood…

She helped him getting on his back. He didn't seem hurt...there was no wound...but he seemed to be in so much pain...and all that blood...

Mathias took him and dragged him away from Moohae, just in case. Verica followed him in panic. They put him against a wall. He had trouble breathing...

"Can you heal him?" Mathias asked to Verica.

"y...yes...of course" she answered

'I'm so stupid. Should have done this from the start.' she thought.

She started to heal him. A pale green light glowed around him. Mathias looked at Moohae who was struggling against the two monks. He started to get up to go see him but Kenneth caught his arm.

"There...something..." he said between two cough.

"You shouldn't talk boy" Mathias said as he sat back.

"s...something...inside him..."

"...what are you talking about?"

"I...I felt a presence...inside him"

"..."

"He...he's not alone... something...inside... uurg"

Mathias looked back at Moohae and removed Kenneth's hand from his arm "It's ok boy. I got it. "

Mathias walked toward Moohae.

"I...I told you to run..." Kenneth whispered to Verica.

"...but...I...I couldn't leave you alone! I..."

Kenneth started to laugh a little, between sharp gasps of pain "but I'm...I'm glad you didn't...don't make a habit...of not...listening to me though...you...you stubborn brat..."

Verica laughed as well. Kenneth's breathing was becoming more steady as he relaxed and closed his eyes. Good, her healing was working.

Mathias bent down in front of Moohae. He looked at him right in the eyes. For a second, he saw what Kenneth spoke of...

"Make him stand" Mathias said to the two monks.

There was so much hatred in his eyes...too much hatred for a human...

Mathias put a hand on Moohae's forehead, not leaving his gaze.

"...Noo..." Moohae whispered.

"You have nothing to do here"

Mathias closed his eyes as Moohae screamed. But it was not really his scream. It was high-pitched. Not human. Moohae's eyes became black and he struggled against the two monks. Black smoke was coming out of his head.

Verica stopped healing Kenneth for a moment to watch the scene. 'What the hell is going on?' she thought. Was he killing him?

Mathias opened his eyes again and removed his hand quickly and violently from Moohae's forehead whose scream became more human. A black immaterial form followed his hand, coming out of Moohae's head. Mathias moved it away from Moohae, who fell to his knee, and crushed the black form brutally on the ground. It disappeared in black smoke with a long scream of pain.

Mathias looked back at Moohae who was breathing heavily.

"Let him go" He said to the two monks.

They did, reluctantly. Moohae fell to the ground like a rag doll. Mathias sat beside him, turned him on his back and took his head in his hand.

"..Moohae...can you hear me?" Mathias asked.

"...Yes...for the first time in a long time...I hear you, friend..."

"...I'm so sorry Moohae...the way you behaved...it was not like you...I should have noticed earlier..."

"No...There was no way...you could have known..."

"...but now I'll help you..."

Mathias turned toward the two monks "Go tell what happened to Yolene-sama. And find Moohae's student, Carly, and bring her here!"

"Yes"

"...I must tell you...please listen carefully" Moohae said

"...what is it?"

"That demon...he played with my mind. He made me believe that his desires were mine. I don't know for how long he's been inside me...probably many years. He took control of me...but he did it so slowly that I didn't noticed it."

"It's over now..."

"He...he played on my jealousy towards you...he shrouded my judgment...made me believe...terrible lies…I was so paranoid...I am so sorry about how I treated you...you and your boy..."

"It's ok Moohae, don't worry about it"

"No...You don't understand. He had nothing against you...It was your boy, Kenneth. That demon...wanted Kenneth...to die!"

"...Why him?"

"...I don't know...I was just a puppet in all this...a mean to an end. But I can tell you that he was afraid of him...of what…he would do in the future...I don't know what kind of fate your boy has...but the great demons fear it!"

"Stop troubling yourself Moohae. We will investigate and we will find out why that demon did what he did"

"Sensei!"

Carly arrived in a hurry with the two monks and knelt beside Moohae.

"Sensei! Are you all right? What happened?"

"Carly, bring your sensei to his quarters and watch over him please."

"Y…Yes Mathias...what happened to Kenneth?" she asked as she looked in his direction.

"...Please just take care of your sensei"

"...Yes…"

Carly and another monk took Moohae away.

"Mathias, The head master wants to see you right now" the second monk said.

"Yeah...of course..."

Mathias walked toward Kenneth and Verica. She was still healing him, but Kenneth's eyes were closed...he was unconscious.

"I think he'll be alright now. He just needs to rest." He said to Verica.

"What happened to him? What kind of power was that white light...the sound it made when it hit Kenneth...It was...scary" she said as she stopped healing Kenneth.

"...that was Azura Strike."

"What is Azura Strike?"

"It is a fearful monk technique. It consumes completely your spiritual energy and concentrates it in your fist. It causes so much damage that no human can survive a direct hit. It should never be used unless you really want someone dead...or if there is no other solution..."

"Then how come Kenneth is still alive?"

"Moohae had a demon inside him. That demon was already consuming a part of his spiritual energy, therefore what he had left was not enough to kill Kenneth...he was very lucky in his bad luck..."

"...Will he be alright?"

"Yes...I'm sorry I didn't make it in time though..."

Mathias asked the other monk to help him.

"I'll bring Kenneth to the sanctuary. I'm afraid your first training session will be postponed girl"

Verica stayed on the ground and watched Kenneth being taken away. She could only hope that he would be alright...

* * *

><p>I hope this chapter pleased you. I'm reading it and I feel like it's not written in the same way as my other chapters...but I can't really say why. I find it so hard to describe what I see in my head with words...I'll never be a professional writer that's for sure :P<p>

I decided to name the skills during battle...I hope it doesn't sound too odd. They do it like this in ragnarok online: the animation, so I thought I would do the same.

Thank you :)


	7. 1:Prophecies and fate

Here goes chapter 7. It's pretty long...probably the longest I've written so far. Some answers and some more questions :P I hope you like it and I hope you will continue to read my fiction :) Thank you all for you support, your reviews and for following me :D

This chapter is like the end of the first part, if there were parts...

(Also, all the previous chapters have been corrected :) yayz)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7 Prophecies and fate <strong>

'...where am I?' Kenneth thought as he opened his eyes.

His body couldn't move. He was paralyzed on the ground. The air smelled like warm sand and the sun was blinding him. There were people with him...

Other monks...and champions. Why were they looking at him like that?

There was someone else...

He turned his head slightly to the right. There was a woman knelt beside him...she was so beautiful...she was against the light but...somehow he knew that she was beautiful...

The clouds covered the sun for a moment. He saw her long purple hair and her delicate features...Verica, with her deep gaze...those dark eyes, overflowing with tears...why was she crying?

A gust of wind went through her hair and brought a freesia smell to his nose...along with a smell of blood. He felt tears fell on his face. He took a better look at her. There was blood around her mouth...was she hurt? Was it why she was crying?

She put her left hand on his cheek and her right on his chest. Kenneth looked down. There was a big whole in his chest...but it didn't hurt. His heart was missing...

"It can't be true..." Verica said.

Kenneth looked back at her. She was crying so much...

"I can't be losing you..."

What was she talking about...he wasn't going anywhere...

"...it's not fair..."

She got up and looked down at him. He wanted to talk. To tell her that he wasn't going anywhere..that she wasn't losing him...he wanted to make her stop crying...but nothing came out of his mouth...

"your death will mean something...even if I have to slay god himself...I will carry on for you."

She turned around and walked away. The other monks followed her and left him behind...

He tried to get up in vain. He screamed as loud as he could...but he heard nothing. He continued to scream again and again, in panic, not knowing what else to do...

"Kenneth! are you ok!"

He jerked up suddenly, eyes wide, lips parted and panting.

"Kenneth?"

He looked beside him and saw Verica looking at him in panic. He looked around him...he was in the sanctuary.

...that dream...again...

"you were doing strange faces...are you ok?"

"...yes.." he answered. He looked around him again, to be sure he was really back into reality. He ran his hand through his hair as he sighed. His forehead and his hands were sweaty.

Then he remembered what happened...

"Where is Moohae?" He asked.

"That girl...Carly. She took him away. Mathias said to take him to his quarters. He said there was a demon inside him..."

A demon...inside a monk..how could this be...

"And where is Mathias?"

"I don't know...another monk said the head master wanted to talk to him."

"I see... and I've been unconscious for how long?"

"Only a few hours...but are you really ok? you took a nasty hit..."

"...I'd never been hit by Asura Strike before, I shouldn't be alive...but I am...and I..don't feel so bad actually."

"I healed you the best I could"

"...I barely feel sick...you did an amazing job! I can see now that your priest education was complete... I sure can't heal like you do! I Never completed my training...you make me regretting it..." He said with a small laugh.

"In any case, I'm glad you're alive..." She said with a smile as she blushed from the compliment.

"...thank you" he said as he patted her on the head with a smile.

He got up from the bed. He staggered a little but Verica helped him to stay straight.

"Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yes, yes, I'm ok, don't worry about me" he said as he walked toward the exit. Verica followed him outside.

"Are you sure you're...?" she asked.

"You already asked me that girl." He said with a laugh "yes, I am, thanks to you really"

"Sol...if you really feel as good as you say...let me remind you that we were interrupted during my first training session..." she said shyly.

"Hm? your...ah...right..."

"And..I hoped that...maybe...we could...resume?"

"I'm sorry but...I have to speak with Mathias about what happened and..." He looked down at her. She was looking at him with bubbly eyes...full of hope...shining like stars...damn that brat...

"Yes...of course..." he sighed.

She smiled widely at him "Thank you!"

"We'll start slowly. I'll show you the basics, just simple things..."

"Yes, of course, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"kss, stop looking at me with those bubbly eyes! I swear you'll be the death of me!" He said as they made their way to the training ground. Speaking with Mathias would have to wait...

* * *

><p>Mathias walked through the corridors of the Abbey. Everyone looked at him as he passed...news travel fast...<p>

He knocked at the head master's office and entered.

"Yolene-sama"

"...Mathias..."

Tomoon, Touha and Vran were there as well.

"I've been told about what happened...how is Kenneth?"

"I brought him to the sanctuary. Verica is watching over him. He will be alright."

"What's this about the demon wanting to kill Kenneth?" Touha asked.

"I know as much as you..."

There was a long silence. Everyone looked at each other, except the head master whose eyes were closed. She was frowning intensely...

"a monk...a member of our holy order...possessed by a demon...these are dark times...dark times indeed..." She said.

"We should reinforce security around the sealed shrine..." Mathias said.

"We already did" Tomoon replied "Baphomet is one of the great demon, but even he can't influence our world from where he is."

"what if the seal is weakening" asked Touha.

"...we can...only hope it's not the case..."

There was another silence. Everyone waited for the head master to say something...

"...Master" Vran said

"what?"

"...what...what do we do?"

Yolene looked at them for a moment then sighed as she massaged her temples.

"...reinforce the security of the shrine..."

"We already did"

"Do it again! Put every monk of this abbey on the task if you need to!"

"...yes master" Tommon said.

"This is our responsibility! Baphomet must be kept within his seal no matter what! Mathias!"

"Yes"

"Don't tell Kenneth about what Moohae said"

"what? you can't be serious?"

"You know him. He will take too much on his shoulders...we'll tell him when the time is appropriate. For the moment, let him concentrate on his student..."

"...as you wish..."

"We must keep the peace in our abbey...make sure no one panic!"

"What should we do with Moohae?" Vran asked.

"...I'll send him to Gonryun."

"..Gonryun? why?"

"It's the cradle of all monk. They may not worship the same god as we, but this place is really a sanctuary of peace. There is no better place in Midgard for a monk to rest and find peace again."

"May I accompany him" Mathias asked.

"...if you want."

"Thank you"

"Tomoon, you're in charge of the sealed shrine. I want report of the situation every hour! Am I clear?"

"yes Master" He said as he left.

"Maybe it would be wise to inspect everyone." Touha suggested.

"...to see if there are other corrupted monks?" Yolene asked.

"yes..."

"...you're right. Do that. Everyone must be inspected! And do it regularly! every week!"

"yes master." Touha left the room.

"Vran...send word to the pope"

"the pope master?"

"I like him as much as I like sunburn but he needs to know what happened..."

"...if you say so..."

"I say so. And when it's done, try to find something in the demonic lore about why they would want to kill Kenneth..."

"yes, of course" Vran left as well.

Yolene sighed as she leaned against her chair. "I didn't need this..."

"See, that's why you're the head master Sunshine. Hmm...all that authority! You make me hot in..."

"Mathias, stop it!"

"haha, I like to tease you." he said as he winked at her.

"This is no time to joke"

"It's always the time to joke" Mathias corrected "I'll arrange things for Moohae and leave as soon as possible".

"Why do you want to go with him?" she asked as she put her elbows on her desk.

"I think you know why"

"...are you sure it's wise"

"We need answers...I need answers"

"But God..."

"God will not answer our questions. Maybe he can..."

"Vran will search for answers"

"Yes, right. He will interpret old texts dating from the creation of the worlds, written in a language we can barely understand"

"Still...you're blaspheming by seeking help from such an...impious deity"

"I'll gladly go to hell for my sacrilege if it can save my boy's life"

"...Very well, do as you wish. It's not like I could stop you anyway" She said as she sighed and leaned back in her chair.

* * *

><p>"So, will you teach me Asura Strike?" Verica asked Kenneth as they arrived on the training ground.<p>

"haha, NO"

"yeah, I thought so..."

Kenneth walked toward a training dummy.

"The first thing you have to know is that we fight with our fist. Therefore, you must train them. It's the most important characteristic of a monk."

"that's not hard...you just punch as hard as you can, no?"

"in theory, yes, it's as simple as that. Come here and punch that dummy"

"..ok"

She approached the dummy and punched it.

"again"

She punched it again...

"again"

...She punched it again...

"again"

Verica looked up at Kenneth with a raised brow. "I think I got it..."

"no you don't, again"

"..."

She punched the dummy...again.

"Do it again, until I tell you to stop"

"..why?"

"I'm your sensei, I don't need to answer to whys" He said with a big smile.

'kss...why you...urg, I feel I'm going to regret having you as sensei..' she thought as she punched the dummy again and again.

After several hours of punching, Verica's knuckles started to bleed, so Kenneth told her to stop.

"So? it's simple isn't?"

"...I suppose...but it hurts..."

"yes, it hurts. When you fight with a weapon, you don't have to worry about hurting yourself like this. But we do. That's why we must train our fist. Eventually it won't hurt anymore and your fist will become a weapon, just like a mace or a sword."

"...I see..."

"whenever you got some time, come here and train your fist. It's the most basic skill for a monk. Your fists must be as hard as steel...well...not literally but...you understand."

"yes, I understand"

"Good" he said with a smile " now think I should explain to you what spiritual energy is..."

Verica suddenly turned around. 'What's that feeling...'

Two monks passed by the training ground...it was the same sensation she felt after she woke up after the ceremony.

"hm..what is it?"

"it's nothing...I have...strange sensations..."

Kenneth looked at the two monk who had just passed by. Then he raised his fingers to his chin and looked up at the sky, like he always does when he thinks.

"hm...right, I should probably explain that to you first"

"explain what?"

"This sensation you have is normal. It allows you to feel people. Sense their presence." He said as he looked back at her.

"...I think you'll have to explain more than that...s.e.n.s.e.i." she said, lingering on her last word.

"hmph...and here I thought you were a natural" he said as he moved his hands to his hips.

"and here I thought you were all mighty and awesome! Can't even explain me simple things!" she replied as she mimicked his position.

"alright alright" he said as he laughed "You probably noticed that you can feel your own soul now. Feel your heart beating."

"yes"

"You can feel your own, so it's only natural that you can feel others."

"so...I'm feeling other people's soul?"

"...to keep it simple, yes."

"and...every monk can do that?"

"yes"

"So that's why...Back at the church's garden in Prontera, I saw you behind a tree and you knew I was there even before opening your eyes!"

"exactly"

"wow...that's kind of awesome."

Kenneth smiled. She was clever. Still a bit childish, but she proved that she was able to be mature when it was necessary...and she was still a child after all.

"...but...yesterday...when Moohae attacked you...didn't you felt him?"

"It's easy for a monk to hide it's presence from other monks"

"really?"

"yes. But that's a training for later. First you must get used to feel other people's presence. Once you're comfortable, we'll train you to hide yours."

"hm, you're not so bad of a teacher after all"

"aah, thank you. I'm happy to hear that" He said with a grin. She returned the smile. She'd never smiled so much in her life...

"and...is it possible to recognize people? Just by the way you feel them?"

"..why do you ask?"

"it's just that I don't feel the same way about everyone..."

"well, yes. I can recognize Mathias, for example. I recognize you also."

"you recognize me?"

"...yes. You haven't learnt to hide your presence yet, so I feel it all the time, ever since you arrived here."

"You feel my presence even when I'm not close to you?"

"when you become a champion, you can sense people from a greater distance. And...well..I don't know why but your presence feels...peculiar..."

"Peculiar?"

"well...what I mean is that I easily distinguish it from others..."

"So what does it feel like?" She asked, curious.

"...you can't ask me that" he laughed awkwardly.

"why?"

"...it's just...I can't describe it...it's a feeling..."

"I'm sure you can! Just try it! Say what comes to your mind!"

Kenneth looked at her for a moment. He sighed as he gave her a defeated look.

"it's...I don't know...it's like...when you're dying of the heat...and suddenly there's a cold breeze blowing in your face..."

"..."

"what?...I told you it was hard to explain..." He said, embarrassed.

"No! I find it kind of sweet actually. So...I feel like a breeze?"

"...no, you don't feel like a breeze...you feel what it feels like to feel a breeze. I mean...it's not the sensation of the breeze, it's the feeling you get from feeling that breeze..."

"...what?"

"Whatever, I suck with words...it's a feeling, let's keep it as a feeling. We didn't come here to talk about feelings did we?" His cheeks were reddening with embarrassment.

"..right.." she said with a smile.

"Good...so...let's resume your training if you don't mind..." He said, obviously trying to change the subject. "is your brain able to take some more?"

"Sure" Verica said, abandoning the subject. Kenneth was so cute when he was embarrassed. Emotions and feelings were definitely not his thing...

"Alright. So...have you ever experienced a moment when you couldn't use any spell?"

"hm..yes"

"That happens when you run out of spiritual energy."

"I see. So that's like...arrows for an archer?"

"...well...that's a strange comparison but...yes, I suppose that's the same. When you run out, all you have left is your fist to defend yourself"

"So everyone use spiritual energy without really knowing what it is? When I heal, when a swordsman uses Bash?"

"Exactly. Except for mages...that's a complex concept that I will not explain, if you don't mind."

"...ok"

"The next thing I'm going to teach you is also very important. It will allow you to feel you spiritual energy and eventually restore it faster when you run out. Here, sit with me" Kenneth said as he sat on the ground, cross-legged. She sat the same way in front of him

"Have you ever meditated?"He asked her.

"That's when you close your eyes and try to empty your mind isn't it? Yes, I did that once..."

"That's a way to meditate. But it's not what I want to teach you. The kind of meditation we're going to do is not about emptiness. It's the opposite actually.

"...oookk..."

"Close your eyes. I want you to visualize your energy. Try to see it flowing inside you, like a river adjacent to your bloodstream.

"..I'm...not sure to understand what you mean..."

"Use your imagination. Imagine your energy, circulating inside you. Or, if you prefer, a pool of energy, in your stomach..."

"..."

"...just close your eyes and try."

She did. She concentrated on her soul and on her heartbeat. After several minutes, she managed to feel her spiritual energy for a few second, but it slipped away...

"It's hard. I can't keep the feeling.."

"I know it's hard, but you have to be able to feel it. Here, give me your hands, I'll try to help you."

They joined hands and Verica tried to concentrate once again. She felt tingles in her hands and goosebumps rose on her arms. She had trouble keeping her focus with Kenneth's hand touching hers...the sensation distracted her. His hands were warm, but so rough against her soft little ones. She understood what he meant by "fist as hard as steel".

Eventually she got used to it and she started to feel something. She felt it in her hands...then it rose up to his arms and her whole body. It was like water was moving inside her, just like a river, like Kenneth had said. Finally, after several hours, she was feeling her spiritual energy.

"I...I think I got it" she said.

Kenneth removed his hands and almost immediately Verica lost the feeling.

"ah! I lost it!"

"It's ok. I was helping you by stimulating your energy. You'll have to train more to be able to do it alone eventually, but for the moment I'll help you." Kenneth said.

"alright..."she said, a bit disappointed.

"I will now teach you how to materialize your spiritual energy by summoning what we call spirit spheres"

"are those...the blue sphere I saw when you fought Moohae"

"yes. You're clever, very clever indeed."

"thank you" she said as she blushed and giggle a little. She was not used to compliment...

"watch"

5 blue spheres appeared around Kenneth.

"...I...I don't understand how you did that..."

"I know. I just want you to know what it feels like to have a spirit sphere." He took one of the sphere in his hand and pushed it in her direction. It started to rotate around Verica.

"you feel it"

"..yes"

"good...what you have to do is concentrate. Visualize a sphere, and try to mold your spiritual energy into that sphere that you see in your head."

"...that looks hard to do"

"it is. Put your hands in your laps, join your thumbs and put your left fingers above your right ones. You see that your hands now form a circle?"

"...y..yes"

"Use it to help you. Try to make the sphere inside your hand at first."

"But you did it without..."

"I'm used to it. You have to start somewhere. Just close your eyes and try it" he said with a warm smile as he put his hands on her wrists and closed his eyes.

She tried the best she could...but even after many hours, there were still no blue sphere in her hands.

"that's...really hard"

"You should let her train more on her meditation before trying to make her summon a spirit sphere boy."

Kenneth and Verica opened their eyes and they saw Mathias walking in their direction. Kenneth stood up and joined him as his spirit spheres disappeared.

"you're just the person I wanted to see sensei"

"yeah...I expected as much. How do you feel?"

"well, I feel better than I thought I would. "

"Good. I was expecting something like "I feel like I've been kicked by a horse" or "I feel like I have the worst hangover ever" or...something like that"

"well, thanks to Verica's healing, it's not the case. Do you have a moment? I'd like some answers about what happened..."

"...you can try"

"...what do you mean?"

"...nothing...nevermind...come, let's go talk"

Kenneth turned toward Verica.

"That's enough for today I believe. You should continue to punch the dummy, train your fist."

"but...my knuckles are bleeding.."

"so what? Will you say to your enemies "please stop attacking me, my hands hurt" in the middle of a fight? I don't think so. Punch the dummy and stop defying my authority please!" he said as he patted her on the head again with a warm smile. She pouted and went back to the dummy.

Kenneth walked away a little with Mathias.

"so, what will happen to Moohae?"

"Yolene is sending him to Gonryun. I'm accompanying him."

"...why?"

"The monks there will help him find peace again and get rid of the demon's influence. She thinks it will be easier for him there. It's true that Gonryun really is a sanctuary of peace, you remember when we went together it.."

"What? Wait, don't change the subject...you mean that there will be no consequences? He tried to kill me and the head master will do nothing about it?"

"Calm down boy. Moohae is a victims as much as you. Don't judge people so fast without knowing everything..."

"You're on his side?"

"It's not a matter of side. It is true that he and I don't always see eye to eye...we never did. But I consider him like a brother, and brothers are often more rivals than friends..."

"What kind of fool treat his brother the way he did?"

"..I thought the same thing at first too. But he was not himself, and it shames me that I was not able to see it sooner..." Mathias said as he looked at the ground.

Kenneth looked at his sensei for a moment. He really looked ashamed. Maybe he should leave Moohae alone...maybe it really was not his fault.

"Fine. Then enlighten me on what happened. Do you know why he was possessed? I never heard of a monk being possessed..."

"..."

"sensei?"

"I...I don't know"

"...you don't know?"

"no"

"...Don't take me for a fool Mathias. You're hiding something"

"It's not that I don't want to tell you boy..." Mathias said as he sighed.

"...what is it then?"

"The head master told me not to tell you. She thinks that you need to concentrate on your new student. And...I'm defying is authority enough as it is..."

"what? You gotta be kidding me! You think I'll settle with that? Who cares what the master says! If it concerns me, I have to know!" He said, raising his voice. Verica turned around in surprise. He was clearly upset, but she couldn't make out his words...

"...But...if you learn about it by someone else..." Mathias whispered.

"..."

"If...you see what I mean..."

"...When does Moohae leaves?"

"We'll teleport in an hour..."

"...thank you sensei"

"We never spoke"

"of course..."

* * *

><p>Carly watched over her sensei in his bed. He looked sick and weak...<p>

Moohae had explained to her what happened...it explained a lot. She had noticed that his behavior had changed. She never would have thought that it was the work of a demon...

She heard someone knock on the door. "Yes"

Kenneth entered the room. Carly stood up and walked up to him.

"Kenneth! Are you alright! Moohae told me what happened! I'm so sorry! I apologize for my sensei's behavior."

"I'm ok Carly. Don't apologize. I understand..."

"...thank you" She said as she sat back beside Moohae.

"Is he awake. I need to talk to him"

"yes...I am..." Moohae said as he opened his eyes.

Kenneth walked to the other side of the bed and crouched to be at eye level with him.

"Moohae...I need answers..."

"I know...I'm glad you came. Listen carefully"

Kenneth nodded.

"This demon took control of me over a long period of time. His goal was to kill you, from the start."

"...why would a demon want to kill me in particular!"

"...When Mathias purged it from my soul, the demon tried to merge completely with my mind. He didn't succeed, but I saw inside him for a moment. I felt fear. Great fear."

"...He feared me?"

"Yes...he feared you. He feared what you would do in the future. You have an important fate Kenneth. They...believe in a prophecy...they think you are part of that prophecy"

"You're speaking nonsense sensei..."

"Carly, let him talk. What else can you tell me..what should I do? What is that prophecy you speak of?"

"...I don't know. They will probably try again to attack you...I don't know what else to tell you Kenneth..."

"...Maybe you should leave your student to someone else" Carly said.

"...no..." Kenneth replied.

"..but you're in danger...she'll also be in danger if she stays with you.."

"...I...I can't let her go..."

"..why?"

"...Our fate are connected...I'm sure she's important...she's part of the puzzle..."

"...neither of you are making any sense to me..." Carly said as she sighed.

"Do what you think is best Kenneth. Don't let them change your fate!"

"...thank you Moohae"

"I'm sorry for the way I treated you Kenneth"

Kenneth looked at him intensely. This was not the man he'd known over the last few year...Mathias was right. He was not himself before.

"I understand. I hold no grudge against you."

"...thank you" Moohae said as he closed his eyes to rest.

Kenneth stood and left the room. Carly followed him outside.

"Kenneth"

"what is it Carly?"

"I know you have bigger things on your mind presently but...I just wanted to tell you that I'm leaving tomorrow."

"For Juno?"

"Yes. Moohae gave me the authorization."

"...are you sure about this?"

"yes...I need it, and I'm ready for it. I just wanted to...let you know"

"..you're not leaving because of me I hope?"

"...it would be a lie to say that you're not part of the reason..."

"Carly..." He sighed" Please be reasonable. You can't go if you're not ready"

"no, I'm ready, I assure you. It's just that...I need to be away from you for a while. Don't take it the wrong way though. What happened between us...it just helped me gathering the courage to actually leave. I would have left eventually anyway"

"...I don't know what to tell you..."

"I know. "You suck with words", right?" she said with a smile.

Kenneth laughed "yes, exactly."

They stayed in front of each other for a moment, until finally Kenneth broke the silence.

"well...if it's what you want, I wish you good luck...but..."

"yes?"

Kenneth thought about his conversation with Verica...and words came out of his mouth without he even realized it...

"...Before you leave...I just wanted to tell you that I finally understood...I think"

"..."

"I realize now that I gave you signs...false signs, that maybe there could be something between us. It was not intentional...and I apologize for not realizing it sooner and making you suffer. It was not my intention. But I know it's too late now and that all I can do to help you is..well...to let you go. But when you come back, if you still want a friend, I'll be there."

Carly looked at him stunned, eyes wide open. Then she smiled softly and approached him.

"..thank you" she whispered.

She hugged him, like a sister hugs her brother, and then walked back to Moohae's room. Kenneth left the Abbey, proud of himself...but still a bit confused and sad. There was so much things to think about. His dream, the demon wanting to kill him...now Carly was leaving...It was all too much for his poor human brain.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you are ok to stand by yourself Moohae" Mathias asked the old man he was helping to walk.<p>

"Yes Mathias...I'll be fine."

"..alright" Mathias said as he let go of him.

They stood in front of the warp portal that would bring them to Gonryun. It was late and the sun had just disappeared from the horizon. Mathias was exhausted...and direly in need of his rum. But it would have to wait...

"..I'm not sure it's a good idea to bring me there" Moohae said, looking worried.

"why not?"

"People there don't believe in God...their culture is...unknown to me. I'm not sure they will welcome me..."

"It will be alright Moohae. Leave your precious God alone for a moment and try to find peace again. They can help you do that. Purge yourself from that demonic influence. You'll see, Gonryun is a very peaceful city."

"...I suppose you're right..."

"Come on now. Let's go"

They stepped into the portal. In a second they found themselves at the Gonryun gate. Two guard welcomed them with a monk. Well, Mathias deducted it was a monk...he was dressed quite differently. It looked like he was simply dressed in pieces of fabrics...

"Welcome to our skyland city, brother. We were expecting you"

"..you were...expecting us?" Mathias asked.

"yes...the great Taoist Hermit knew you would come."

Moohae looked at Mathias, obviously worried "Maybe it's not such a good idea..."

"The Taoist Hermit is like their god. It is a powerful deity. Don't worry, it's not an enemy."

"Whatever...this place is full of sacrilege and blasphemy..."

"And you are full of blasphemy for them too Moohae, calm down"

"Come. We arranged everything for you. We will help you find peace again." The monk said to Moohae, ignoring his comments.

The two guard escorted Moohae under the amused look of Mathias. Moohae didn't seem to find it funny though...

The monk left too, but Mathias followed him.

"Excuse me. May I request an audience with the great Taoist Hermit."

"...he knew you would asked. Yes, but you will not see him."

"...He knew that I?...hm, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It's ok, I do not need to see him, I need to speak with him"

"Come with me"

They walked through the city to the little island north. There was some kind of shrine.

"Here, sit. He will speak to you." The monk said as he left.

"thank you"

Mathias sat on the ground. He waited for a few minutes until finally he heard a deep low voice echo in his head.

"I'm surprised to see you here, human. Where you come from, people don't often find the need to seek my wisdom. I'm surprise you even know that I exist"

"I'm like that, I'm unorthodox. I thank you for receiving me"

"You seek answers. I can give you reflexions, not answers."

"Then I will take the reflexions..." It was strange...it was like he was speaking to himself...

"Ask me your questions then."

"My friend was possessed by a demon and tried to killed my ex-student...we do not know why but..."

"And you think I know? Why don't you ask your god"

"...my god is not particularly known for his conversation skills with human...I thought maybe you would be more cooperative."

"hm...I can tell you that the demons have a prophecy. In this era, a man of justice will strike a great blow at evil. It is said that this man will kill one of the 3 great demon"

"Kill? you mean...kill forever? Not just seal?"

"I'm just telling you the prophecy. That's for you to interpret it."

"And they think this man is my student."

"Obviously"

"...My student had a dream..about a woman. He met her a few days after having his dream. She his now his student. Do you think it's related?"

"Do you think it is?"

"...well...I don't usually believe in this kind of things but..considering the situation, yes, I think it is"

"Yes, you should listen to your intuition."

"That's an indirect way to tell me that she's part of the puzzle?"

"Maybe"

"Alright then...what should we do..."

"I have no answers for you human. It is said that this man will be impossible to defeat. Impossible to stop . Only time will answers your questions."

"...time? Do we really have time? "

"Time will flow faster than you think...you will see. The pieces will fall in place and you will understand...you will have to understand, or else, the consequences will be disastrous."

"If the consequences are so disastrous, why don't you help me more than that?"

"It will be disastrous for your kind, human. I am not affected by your wars and tragedies. It is not my place to help you."

"...I see...well, it has the merit to be clear...cold, but clear..."

"Return to your homeland, human. I cannot help you more"

Then everything went calm. Mathias stayed there for a moment, confused. He'd hoped that The Taoist Hermit would have given him answers...but he just raised more questions. However, he was sure now that the Prontera girl had her part to play...but which part? As the Hermit said, only time would answer his questions...

* * *

><p>Kenneth went to the training ground, where Verica was still punching the dummy. She was very concentrated. He stayed there for a moment and just watched her. She was beautiful to watch. Well...by beautiful he meant...that her determination and perseverance was nice to see.<p>

Then she stopped for a moment and without turning around she spoke.

"Hello again, Kenneth"

"...you felt my presence? and you even recognized me? good job" He said as he walked toward her.

She turned around and smiled.

"Thank you. You know...I thought about what you told me about my presence. You said it was peculiar because you easily recognized it."

"...yeah"

"I think I know what you mean...I also quickly associated your presence with a feeling and I'm pretty sure I could recognized you amongst other people."

"Really? And what do I feel like?"

"You feel like electricity"

"..electricity? Care to elaborate?" he said as he laughed.

"when I feel your presence...it feels like millions of little electric shocks under my skin...or like static...you were right, it's hard to explain."

They looked at each other for a moment. The silence was awkward, but Kenneth didn't know what to say...he didn't feel like saying anything actually...

"But maybe it's just me. Maybe other people don't feel your presence like that..." She said as she looked at the ground.

"You know, nobody ever talked about this before."

"what do you mean"

"These feeling. To try to associate a feeling with a presence...no one ever talked about this with me...I never realized it either before you pointed it out to me..."

"really?"

"yeah...now it's going to obsess me and I'll try to put a feeling on every presence I feel!" He said with a warm smile.

She laughed a little as she looked at her hands.

"I think I've trained my fists enough for today, don't you think Kenneth...I mean...sensei"

"yeah..I think that's enough. It's pretty late, you should go sleep"

"..I don't feel like sleeping..."

"...neither do I..."

She walked up to him until she was only a few feet away. She looked up to him with a bright smile.

"Could you help me meditate then?"

"...yes, I'd like that..."

"..I'm glad you're my sensei. I feel...comfortable with you"

"...Thank you" he said with a smile. He put a hand on her shoulder "I'm glad you feel that way."

"can I ask you something weird? It's ok if you say no..." she said as she looked to the side.

"hm? what is it?"

"...I...my mother died giving birth to me. And I don't remember my father...I mean...I was five when the church took me...and..."

"...You can ask me whatever you want Verica." He said smiling as he bowed a little to be at eye level with her.

"...could I hug you?"

"eh.." He straighten, taken aback. Did she just asked...

"I..I shouldn't have asked...I'm sorry. I feel so stupid now. It's just that...the church was so cold..I never felt like they were my family...they were teachers, instructors...superiors. Kebbaku was a good teacher and she cared about me...but there was always that professional distance between us..."

Kenneth's expression softened as she spoke. He could understand her all too well. He never knew his father and his mother was a total waste of a human being. He had suffered a lot from his lack of family. If he could help her avoiding that...he would do so without hesitation...

"You are...the closest thing from a family that I ever had" Verica continued "...and...I just..wondered what it felt like...to..."

Kenneth closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her, forcing her head to lean on his chest. She stopped to talk and wrapped her arms around him as she pressed her cheek on his sternum. She could hear his heart beating.

"You're not alone anymore" He told her "You'll see, I'll take care of you...in any way you need. You just have to ask..."

"...thank you...sensei" she smiled to herself as she enjoyed his warmth for a moment before releasing him. "Do you still want to help me meditate?" She asked, trying to hold back her tears of emotions.

Kenneth sat cross-legged on the ground and smiled at her. She sat in front of him and closed her eyes as she felt him taking her hands. Never in her life she'd been happier, and she was sure that she would be for many years to come. As long as Kenneth stayed with her, nothing could be wrong.

* * *

><p>That's it :) I know I'm repeating myself but I really hope you liked what I wrote :) My story is very long so I need to...take a temporal shortcut, if I could say it like this. I will skip a few years in my next chapter so my characters will be a bit older. But don't worry it will be clear :)<p>

Thanks again :D


	8. 2:Bad news

Here you go. Didn't take too long I hope. I apologize because it's really short...also for my poor english...but it'll be corrected soon. Also I'm sorry I got lazy with battle description XD

Thank you :)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapitre 8 Bad news<strong>

'6 birds on the branch over there' Verica thought as she looked at the sky from her laid down position. "This cloud looks like a sword...and this one looks like a turtle...this one...'

"I swear you'll be the death of me"

Verica stood up and looked behind her. Kenneth was walking toward her with heavy step.

"What's wrong sensei?"

"I told you to meet me at the training ground at noon! I've been waiting for you the past hour!"

"But it's not even noon yet"

"Yes. Yes it is. It's 1 o'clock girl"

Verica looked up to the sun.

Indeed...it was 1 o'clock...shit. She had been here all morning lost in her thought...she had to stop doing that...

"Fuck...I..I'm sorry sensei..I didn't realize..."

"Yes, I know, I know. Next time you don't show up, you'll have to do without me. I won't always be there to fetch you! Come on now, we have training to do."

"Yes sensei" She said as she got up and followed Kenneth to the training ground.

She walked behind him as she got lost in her thought, again. Two years had passed since she first came here...time had flowed by quickly. She was now 18 years old...a woman, like Mathias liked to tell her. Those two years had been the best of her life. She'd never realized how much she was missing her purpose back at the church, but she knew now that this was her place. She was truly happy.

She was learning quickly and Kenneth was a good teacher. He was more than that...he was her family. He would do everything for her. She could ask him anything and talk about anything with him...well, almost anything. There were things she never had the guts to ask him. Things about his past... She knew he came from Lighthazen...that's pretty much everything he had told her. Mathias told her that he left for Prontera when he was 10 years old and left the church at 13 to become a monk. He also told her that Kenneth's past was full of painful memories and it was better not to insist.

They arrived at the training ground and Kenneth turned back to her.

"Alright...are you ready for a fight?" Kenneth asked her.

"Always ready for a fight"

"Why?"

"Because enemies won't ask you if you're ready"

"Exactly" He said as he moved back and took a battle stance. Verica did the same.

They stayed like this for a moment, looking at each other. Suddenly, Verica jumped on her teacher, fist ready. As she punched him, Kenneth blocked with his hand and threw his fist at her too, but she also blocked it. Things went on like this for a while; punch, block, punch, dodge, kick, dodge, punch, block. No spells or special skills, only their bodies. Iron Fist; the most important skill for a monk, like Kenneth loved to repeat. Close combat was indeed the most basic, but also the most important ability of a monk. As the combat continued, Kenneth found himself having trouble following her. She was coming at him like her life depended on it. She stroke to kill, which was a good thing. That's what he had always asked her to do. But today...he didn't know why, but her best was better than usual. She had train on her own recently that's for sure.

She managed to occupy both of his hands by making him block two kicks. He was caught off guard when she took the opportunity to strike him as hard as she could in the stomach with her fist. It took away his breath and he let go of her legs to hold his stomach and staggered as he moved back. But she was not finished. She followed him and punched him in the face, but he deflected her attack at the last second. He managed to dodge her punches, but she took him by surprise when she jumped on him, legs first, and trapped his neck between her thigh. Kenneth didn't realize what she was doing until it was too late. She supported herself on her hands and used it as leverage to topple him over her. He crashed loudly, cracking the ground under him. He screamed with pain as he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Verica was sitting on his chest and his neck was still trapped between her thigh. She was panting heavily but her smile was priceless...and full of proud.

"...where the hell did you learn that?" he asked her, still whining from the pain in his back.

"Carly taught me before she left. I've been practicing for a while." She said with a grin.

"Holy shit...urg...get off me please, I can't breathe"

Verica got up and sat beside him as he straighten.

"...well, you've improve a lot. I have to admit I wasn't expecting that..."

"Teehee. I waited until I was able to fight you properly before using it."

"Fight me properly? You fight more than properly. I can easily say that your combat skills are more than satisfying for your level...oh god my back...I was so not prepared for that hit..." He said as he stretched.

"Thank you sensei." She said, obviously proud of herself. She had trained a lot alone on her fighting skills. She was happy to see that Kenneth acknowledged it. He got up as he moan.

"..urg, alright...kss, you make me feel old girl"

"hehe, sorry"

"Well, let's stop here for today"

"Could you help me meditate? My fists are ready! I need my mind to be ready as well!"

"...hm, I never said your fists were ready. I said it was satisfying for your level. Don't neglect your training because of it."

"Of course not, but I feel my mind is not at the same level. I still can't do spirit spheres"

"You don't need my help anymore for that, you can feel your energy even without my help"

"I know...but you help. When I'll be able to do it with you, I'll try without you" she said, looking at him with her bubbly eyes.

Those eyes...the way she looked at him, it made him melt every time. She would ask him to jump off a cliff with those eyes and he would probably do it. Damn that brat...

"Alright, alright" he said as he sighed and sat on the ground.

She sat in front of him, happy. They joined hands and Verica closed her eyes. The truth was that she just liked to meditate with him and feel his presence close to her...It was comforting.

Kenneth looked at her. She had grown up a lot over the last two years. She was learning quickly. And...well, she looked a little more like a woman every years...but he tried not to think about it too much. Every year, with every features of her face aging, he was reminded of the woman in his dream. Every year confirmed that she really was that woman.

No demon had tried to kill him since Moohae, who was still in Gonryun. He tried to get information about this so called prophecy Moohae had spoken about, but no success. Mathias seemed to know something others didn't...but maybe it was just an impression. Kenneth had somewhat given up on the matter, focusing all his attention on Verica. He was a teacher now. His student had to be his first priority.

The head master seemed satisfied with his teaching. Verica was not really hard to teach. She was a natural. Everything came easily to her. Still, he made sure to be there for her, if she needed him. She was his family now. The family he never had and he would make sure to take good care of it. Mathias helped him a lot to teach her as well. Sometimes she even trained with him. But she'd taken some bad habits from him, like swearing...but he swore a lot himself too so he couldn't really say whose fault it was. In any case, Mathias' help was greatly appreciated.

He received a letter from Carly last month. She had joined a group of adventurers. A priest, a knight and a sage. She was in Aldebaran back then, helping people and exploring the world. She seemed happy from what the letter said. He was not sure it was a good idea to let her go because she didn't seem ready. But at least she was not alone and the people travelling with her seemed to help her a lot. It looked like she was learning lots of things she wouldn't have if she'd stayed here. In the end, Kenneth thought that her journey was a good thing, even if he missed her. If she's not ready to become a champion, she would be by the time she gets to Juno.

Kenneth and Verica meditated for a while until they were interrupted by Mathias.

"Hi there you two"

"Hi Mathias" Verica said as she got up. Kenneth stood as well.

"Sensei. What is it?" Kenneth asked

"What do you mean, "what is it?" Do I need a reason to come and see my favorite student?"

"First, I'm your only student so of course I'm your favorite. Second, I know you better than anyone old man. You have your "I want something"-face on. So, again, what is it?"

"kss, how do you put up with him all day long girl?" she asked Verica as he reached to his pocket and took out his bottle of rum.

"Probably the same way you did" she replied

"...with lots of alcohol?" he said with a laugh.

"Stop annoying my student Mathias"

"hahaha, I'm sorry. I like to tease cute girl"

"...stop hitting on her too..." Kenneth said exasperated as Verica crossed her arm and looked at Mathias angrily. She hated when he did that...

"hm" he took a sip of his rum "could you do me a favor?"

"it depends"

Mathias gave him a letter, sealed with wax.

"could you go to the Prontera's library and give this to the owner?"

"What is it?"

"You don't need to know"

"..."

"Will you do this for me, yes or no? I don't have the time to do it myself. Ever since Moohae left, I had to take his place. I never had so little time on my hands..."

"...alright...I'll do it."

"Good. I would like it to be delivered today if possible"

"sure"

"You should bring your girl with you. She never left the abbey ever since she came here." Mathias said as he left, the bottle of rum still attached to his lips.

"...Prontera...I'm not sure I want to go back there" Verica said to Kenneth, looking at the ground.

"Why not?"

"...There's nothing left for me there. My life is here now..."

"There is this girl, Ami. Wasn't she your friend?"

"...I suppose...but..."

"There is also your teacher Kebbaku. I'm sure she would be please to see you're alive..don't you think?"

"...I suppose you're right..."

"Just come with me. It'll be good for you to get out of here a little. Let's go"

"...ok" Verica said as she followed him reluctantly.

They stopped by the sanctuary to get supplies, in case they had to camp outside. Once they were prepared, they left for Prontera.

* * *

><p>"It's strange to go along this path again" Verica said on the way to prontera. There were almost there...and she was starting to stress...<p>

"calm down" Kenneth told her as he chuckled.

"I'm calm"

"calm my ass. I can see your hands shake. Don't worry, everything will be fine"

"...you come from Lighthazen right?"

"...I do"

"Did you ever went back?"

"...no"

"why?"

"Many reasons"

"...then you should understand why I don't want to go back"

"...It's not the same."

"Why?"

"Are you happy the way things are presently?"

"of course I am"

"I'm sure you were happy at the church too, isn't it?"

"...well, yes. I suppose I was."

"That's why. You left because you could. I left because I had to."

"Was it that bad? Lighthazen is a rich and beautiful city..."

"A beautiful city? Yes, I suppose the inside of the walls are beautiful. I never crossed those walls. I lived in the slum, to the east..."

"oh...I'm sorry...I didn't know..."

"It's not really something I'm proud of..." He said looking at the ground with a sad expression.

"...I always wondered why you never spoke of your past...now I understand"

"It's not just that...let's just say that I've not been a very lucky man..."

"But...don't you feel the need to go back...just to see. Maybe it changed"

"I will never go back to Lighthazen. It would be like a prisoner going back to jail of his own will after escaping for 19 years..."

"...But...it's still your home, no?"

"It stopped being my home when my father abandoned us, before I was even born, and my mother started to drink like there was no tomorrow..."

Verica looked at him with a sad look. She wished she knew more about him but every time she managed to get some information, he always looked so sad...almost sick.

"I'm sorry. But at least you knew your mother...I never..." She said looking at the ground.

"You obviously don't know my mother" he said laughing, but it sarcastic "The day before I left, she was passed out in a back alley. I tried to wake her up and when I finally succeeded, she didn't even recognized me."

"..that's...horrible..."

"As I said, I left because I had to. There was nothing to keep me there and there is still nothing to make me go back...What is done is done. We can't change it even if we want to...you had a good life Verica, even if you never knew your parents. Kebbaku has been good to you and I'm sure she's worried about you. Even if it bothers you, you should talk to her...care about the people who cares about you" Kenneth said as looked back at her with a warm smile.

"...You're right..."

Finally they arrived to Prontera. Kenneth entered but Verica stayed behind.

"Come on now" Kenneth told her as he turned around.

"...I don't know...what if..."

"Enough. Come, it's an order." Kenneth said exasperated. She gave up and followed him inside the city.

They went through the streets. Verica remembered many memories as she walked. Some good, some bad...but all in all, she was somewhat happy to be here again. Kenneth was right. As much as she was happy at the Abbey, this was her home and it was good to be back, even if it was just for a little while.

They went straight to the library. They entered and Kenneth took the envelope out of his pocket. They ventured deeper into the library and finally spotted an employee.

"Excuse me. I have something for the owner of this library. May I see him?"

"Yes, of course. I'll go get him. Wait here."

After several minutes, a large old man with a gray beard and dressed like a High Wizard arrived. When he saw Kenneth, his jaw dropped as he stopped.

"...Kenneth?"

"...Thomas? What the...You own a library now?"

"And you! Look at you! A champion, at such a young age! I shouldn't be surprised. Mathias always told me you were special. haha, I'm glad to see you're well." he said with a warm smile as he and Kenneth shook hands.

"well, thank you. I'm glad to see you're doing ok too"

Verica looked at them. There, she was being ignored again...who the hell was that man anwyay?

"And who is this pretty young woman with you?" The man said looking at Verica with a smile.

"I'm Verica, nice to meet you" She said, happy to be acknowledged.

"Verica...that means faith in slavic...and truth in latin. A wonderful name for beautiful monk such as yourself." He said as he shook her hand.

"...t..thank you" She said, blushing.

"I'm glad to see you're doing well Kenneth..and that you're done grieving Julian's death. You moved on, it's a good thing. I'm really happy to see you with someone, you deserve to be happy..."

"...what? eh..no it's... not like that...she's my student..." Kenneth said embarrassed. Verica looked at him with surprise written all over her face. Who the hell was Julian?

"Ho... I'm so sorry. I got the wrong idea..."

"It's ok...Mathias gave me something for..."

"I..I didn't mean to bring back bad memories..."

"It was a long time ago Thomas. There's no need to talk about it more..." Kenneth said, trying to change the subject. His forever present smile was gone. He was frowning and biting the inside of his lips...Verica wanted to ask who Julian was...but she felt it was a delicate subject...

"..yes...I'm sorry. So...what did you have for me?" Thomas asked, uncomfortable.

Kenneth gave him the envelope. The man teared it and read it's content. His brow furrowed and his smile vanished.

"I see...wait here. I'll be back soon." The wizard said as he left.

"...Can I ask who's Julian" Verica tried to ask.

"...I'd rather not."

"...was she...your lover"

"I'm going to ignore you from now on"

"what? but...please, tell me..."

"What you're doing is really childish, stop it." Kenneth said with a very serious face. The kind of face that says 'You shut your mouth, or I'll make you'.

"...sorry" Verica said, abandoning the subject.

After a long moment, the man came back with a book and a new envelope.

"There you go Kenneth. Give these to Mathias"

"I will..."

"Tell him that if he needs anything else, he just has to ask. Good luck with your student. I hope to see you again soon"

"Yes...Take care of yourself Thomas."

Kenneth and Verica left the library with the book and the envelope. Kenneth looked at it. It was locked and he needed a key to open the book. The key was probably in the envelope...but it was sealed with wax. Mathias would know it if he opened it...it would be better not to. He put the book and the envelope in his backpack.

"I don't know about you but I'm hungry. We should get something to eat" Kenneth said with a smile, like nothing had happened in the library.

"...yeah...sure"

As they walked toward the market place, Verica heard her name behind her.

"Verica! eh! Verica!"

She turned around and saw Ami running toward her.

"Ami?"

"Verica! oh my god! I thought I was hallucinating, but it's really you!" The girl said embracing her friend "I'm so glad to see you!"

"I'm glad to see you too Ami" Verica said with a smile. Kenneth looked at them smiling as well. He was happy she met Ami here.

"oh Verica. Tell me what happened to you!"

"What do you mean?"

"They told us you had abandoned the church. That you had turned your back on God! Please tell me it's not true!"

"Of course not. I just...didn't want to be priest anymore."

"But...what are you then?"

"I..."

"We serve god in another way..." Kenneth answered in her place. He smiled widely at Ami who blushed.

"...yes...don't worry Ami. I'll always be a servant of god"

"...You're taking good care of her I hope mister." Ami said to Kenneth.

"Like my own blood."

This answer seemed to please the girl.

"But Ami...tell me..how is Kebbaku?"

"...Kebbaku?"

"Yeah...we didn't really part on good terms...how is she?"

"she...I didn't know where you were Verica. If I'd known, I would have written to you..."

"...what do you mean? Is she that angry?"

"...Kebbaku is dead Verica. She got sick after you left and died, a year ago."

* * *

><p>Thank you very much for reading :)<p> 


	9. 2:Moving on

A new Chapter :) I hope you'll like.

A few people told me that my story was too slow. I have to admit that I agree a little. I'm not as satisfied with my story as I wish I was...but it is already posted so I'll try to just...improve what is coming :P

I'm also eager to begin the "Mature content" :P but I don't want to rush things...I want it to make sense... I hope you understand. I'll try to make it worth your while :)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9 Moving on<strong>

Verica stood before Kebbaku's grave, in Pontera's cimetery. She stood straight, fist clenched and a lump in her throat.

Kenneth stood a few feet away behind her. This was...not what he hoped for. He thought this journey would be good for her...to see people she knew...see her home. He thought that by meeting her ex-teacher, she would be able to make peace with her past, get rid of her guilt, and concentrate on her future. He was not expecting...that. Maybe it was a bad idea to bring her here. But then again, she would have learned the new sooner or later. It was never easy to lose someone you cared for...

"...would you like to say a few words?" He asked her. His voice barely above a whisper.

"...No...There are no words to express...what I feel...nor to express how..how sorry I am.."

A lone tear streamed down her cheek, but she whipped it away immediately. 'A monk is a holy executioner...a monk must be strong physically and emotionally...it must be what God expects it to be..' She repeated herself. There was no place for self-pity, especially about death. The departed go beside God..there was no reason to cry for them...

No reason to cry for them...

"sensei?"

"hm?"

"Could we...go to the church? To pray..."

"...I doubt they will let us in..."

"...why, they let you in when you came for high priest Mazrim..."

"Yes but it was his funeral..."

"...yeah..."

"...and...I kind of steal you from them. I don't think they will let me in again...you neither...They know what you are now..."

"I see..."

Kenneth walked up and stood beside her. He joined his hands and bowed his head.

"You don't need to be in a church to pray girl."

* * *

><p>Verica and Kenneth stayed at the graveyard the rest of the day. When they left, the sun was already going down. Kenneth wanted to stay in Prontera at an inn, but Verica insisted to go back to the Abbey before the night. Kenneth didn't argue...<p>

They walked in silence in the forest. Verica was looking at the floor the whole time. Kenneth looked at her from the corner of his eyes. He felt sorry for her...he had never seen her so depressed...but it was understandable. He had to do something...

"We will set camp here" Kenneth said.

"What? but...we can easily make it before midnight. I don't mind travelling in the dark..."

But he was already unloading himself...there was no point in arguing with him.

They gathered wood and made a fire as the sky became dark. They sat by the fire in silence. Kenneth wanted to say something...make her pain go away...but words were not his forte...

"..mm..are..are you ok?" he asked her.

"yes"

"..."

"I'll check for more wood" Verica said as she got up. She ventured into the forest. Kenneth looked at her until she disappeared behind a tree. She hadn't learnt to hide her presence yet...he knew she was still there...she wasn't moving...

Verica leaned on the tree for a moment...then she broke down. She collapsed on the ground, hands covering her mouth to muffle her whimper. Tears flowed down, uncontrollably. She bowed and swung like a demented man. This was not happening...it was not real...

Kenneth stayed by the fire. What to do now? If he was Mathias...he would leave her alone and let her mourn in peace...but he was not Mathias. What would he want, in her situation?

Verica heard noises beside her. She looked up with red eyes. She saw Kenneth. He didn't look at her. He just sat on the ground, against the tree, and stretched out his arm toward Verica, inviting her to his shoulder. She looked at him stunned for a moment, searching for an explication in his features, but he was looking straight in front of him with an emotionless face. After a few seconds of hesitation, she accepted his invitation. She sat beside him and buried his face in the crook of his neck, hugging herself. He put his hand on her arm and lean his head on hers.

"I'm sorry..."she said between sob.

"There's no reason to be sorry"

"...I...I never had the chance to tell her...how important she was. Our last conversation was...not a good conversation...I wish she knew...how much I cared about her..how grateful I am..."

"From where she is now, she knows."

"...is it ok to cry for a monk?"

"A monk must not be guided by his emotions...but we are humans. Emotions distinguish us from other creatures. If god gave us emotions, it's because we need them. They can make us do stupid things and it's important to keep them in check...but it's ok to express them when the time is appropriate"

"..." she was struggling not to cry too loud.

"you are sad, it's normal to cry. You will feel better after letting it out. But you have to understand that you can't just surrender to your sadness either. You can't...let it all out in the middle of a battle, or let your hatred rule your actions in a moment of rage. A monk's goal is to find peace...we can't be at peace if our emotions control us. You are the master of your emotions, not the opposite."

"this..seems hard..."

"It is..."

"...I don't know if I can..."

"I'm not asking you to..lose your humanity. It's impossible to erase one's emotion all the time. It's just important to keep a balance...Mathias used to tell me that If there was nothing wrong, then there would be nothing right...It's important to accept negative things happening in your life... "

"...to know that you are happy, you must know what it means to be sad first..is that...what you mean?"

"..yes..."

"Kebbaku used to tell me that..when I was sad."

"...A sage woman. She would have been a good monk..."

"She loved her church too much..."

"...Now that she's no longer here, you miss her. And you're going to miss her for a while...maybe all your life. You have to learn to live with it. Keep balance in your life and control yourself. Ignore unwanted emotions that troubles your heart and make peace with yourself."

"..."

"It's a complicated concept..."

"no...I understand"

"...yeah...I'm sure you do..." he said with a smile.

"...Still...it hurts..."

"It's never easy to lose someone you love...I'll not lie to you, it's not going to be easy."

She continued to cry, but in silence. She clung to her sensei like her life depended on it. Presently, it was all she needed. Something to cling to...

"...you asked me who was Julian earlier." Kenneth said in a low tone "Julian...was the most important person in my life...I met her in Geffen. She was a Wizard. I loved her, more than anything. I would have die for her without a second thought..."

"What happened?"

"She got sick. She started to cough...then she started to shake. She had trouble breathing and eventually she couldn't even move. Her state worsen with time. I stayed with her until the end..."

Verica looked at her teacher with compassion. He was looking at the three in front of him...but it was like he was not really seeing it. It was like he was looking at something that only he could see. He looked like he was on the verge of tears...but his eyes were dry. He remained silent for a moment, then finally, he closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair.

"After she died, I abandoned my apprenticeship whit Mathias. I fled to Morroc for a year. Finally, Mathias found me and ordered me to come back to the Abbey. He helped me find peace again...it took me a while to do it."

"...I'm sorry..."

"It was a long time ago. I learned from my mistakes."

"..your mistakes? You think loving her was a mistake?"

"...love is not for monks Verica. I'm not meant to have a normal life with a woman and have children. I'm a holy executioner. I serve God. My love is directed at him."

"...you really believe that?"

"yes. Love is a wonderful thing, don't get me wrong. But...it's just not meant for us."

"But some monks are married..."

"Well, I never said it was impossible. But believe me when I say it's hard..."

Verica put his head back on his shoulder and hugged him.

"...I don't agree with you...everyone can love. You were unlucky with your first love, but it doesn't mean you can't love again..and it doesn't mean it will be the same for other people..."

"What do you know about love little girl?" he forced her to raise her head and looked at her directly in the eyes with a wounded look "What do you know about life, at 18 years old. What do you know about pain and suffering? You think you suffered at the church? Because you had to keep your hair short, because you had to stay at the church, because you never knew your parent, because you had to study hard...but you can't even realize that you had everything. You had a roof above your head, friends and people who cared about you...you know nothing about love and pain...you don't even understand what it means to suffer. See how you feel presently? After losing someone you cared for? Let me tell you this: you can't even begin to imagine what it feels like to lose the most important person in your life...your soul mate...the person for whom you would destroy the entire world, only to keep her alive..."

Verica shrank under his gaze as she moved back a little. He looked angry and sad at the same time...she started to cry even more...

Kenneth looked away. He was breathing heavily, struggling to keep his anger inside him. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair again.

"...I'm sorry..."

"..."

They remained silent for a long moment, looking away from each other.

"I didn't mean to...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that..." He said as he forced her back to lean on his shoulder. She accepted, but she kept crying...

"No grief is harder than another...no pain is greater than another. We all suffer...we all have our reason to cry..." He said as he looked at the ground.

"...no...you're right...I know nothing of life. Who am I to tell you what is good or not...what is possible and... what is easy or hard..." Verica replied as she hugged him " I'm sorry..."

"then we are both sorry..."

"But..I still don't understand how you can be so cold about love..."

"...you're young. Someday, you'll understand.."

Then they became quiet for the rest of the night. Verica continued to cry and mourn her ex-teacher... and Kenneth just stayed beside her and hugged her, letting her tears wet his clothes.

* * *

><p>Kenneth woke up the next morning still sitting on the ground and leaning on the three, but Verica was not beside him anymore. He got up and stretched. He looked behind the three. The fire was covered and everything was back in their backpack. He felt Verica's presence a few meter away so he walked toward her. He arrived in front of a lake. She was sitting cross-legged in front of it, meditating. She had a serene expression on her face, but her cheek were moist. She'd been crying.<p>

She opened her eyes and looked at him. The wind blew through her hair and they covered her face. She used her hand to remove them and keep eye contact with Kenneth. For a second...Kenneth saw her older than she was, like in his dream. He found her beautiful... the sun caught in her purple hair, dancing in the wind... his heart skipped a beat when she smiled to him...

She got up and walked up to him.

"Thank you sensei. For last night..." She said with her mysterious smile. He'd never seen her smile like that. It was a mature smile...the smile of a woman, not a little girl's...

He pushed aside his thought and smiled as well. "It's nothing. I told you I would be there for you, no matter what" He said as he patted her on the head. Her long hair were still caught in the wind and she was struggling to keep them away from her face. They were much longer than before...

Verica saw him removing a piece of red bandage he was wearing on his wrist, like a bracelet. He held it out to her.

"Here. Tie your hair with this. It's getting in your way when you fight, and I know you don't want to cut them..."

"...thank you" she said "back at the church, they always wanted us to have short hair. Now It's like...a symbol of my freedom.."

He gave her a warm smile and moved behind her. He took her hair and tied them.

"I always wondered...why did you have this around your wrist? I didn't see any other monk with that"

"..It belonged to Julian" He said as he moved back in front of Verica, who's jaw dropped.

"..wh..what? but...no, you can't give me this!"

"It's ok. It was a long time ago...we have to move on someday...don't you think?"

"but...it's important for you if you kept it all this time?"

"...I wore it for 10 years..didn't do me any good...You know, last night I told you that you had to live with your sadness but that you couldn't surrender to it. I meant it...but...I realized that I was doing exactly that. For 10 years I've moped...pretending that I was ok while I was not. I never truly said goodbye to her...even today she haunts my sleep... It's time to let go..."

Kenneth looked at the ground and chuckled a little " And beside, I've a new important person in my life to take care of now" he said with a warm smile as he looked back at her.

"...thank you" she said as she smiled back.

They smiled at each other for what seemed like an eternity in front of the lake. Verica felt the urge to hug him...to be close to him like she was last night...it had felt so good to be in his arm. It was comforting. She just...felt good when he hold her. She took a step toward him...and Kenneth took a step back at the same time.

"We should go back to the abbey" He said as he moved back to where their backpack were, oblivious to his student's thought. Verica looked at him walking away a moment before following behind him.

"..yes, sensei..."

* * *

><p>"ah, there you are boy. I was starting to get worried!" Mathias said to Kenneth.<p>

"Sorry I'm late. Here." He gave him the book with the envelope "You could have told me I was meeting Thomas."

"I didn't told you? oh, I'm sorry. Must have slipped my mind."

"...yeah, right." Kenneth left with a smile...a strange smile.

"hey...what is it?"

"..what do you mean?"

"That smile you have...what happened?"

"...nothing..."

Mathias looked at him closely...there was something different..then he saw it.

"...where Julian's clothing?"

Kenneth looked at his wrist and smiled back as his sensei "Let's just say that I didn't need it anymore."

"...Are you sure you're ok boy?"

"I am. For the first time in a long time, I feel peace again..." He said as he left, under the confused look of Mathias.

But then he smiled as well and chuckled "hm...that brat...I'll never understand him..."

Mathias left to his quarters and opened the envelope. There was a key and a letter.

"Dear Mathias.

I'm sorry to hear what happened to Mooohae, I hope he'll come back to the abbey soon. I have the book you requested. I have to admit that your story intrigues me...but it scares me at the same time. I didn't look inside the book so I don't know if you'll find what you seek, but if you do, please let me know what you find. Kenneth is a good boy...I would hate to learn of his death.

Thomas."

Mathias took the key and unlocked the book. It was a very old book. Probably the oldest book of all time. He handled it very carefully, because the pages were really fragile. It was a demonic book. The kind of book the church would burn if they knew of its existence. He couldn't read its content, but there were very explicit images that, maybe, could help him understand the prophecy the Taoist Hermit had spoken about. He looked at the images...they were troubling images, even if they were just in black and white. Finally, one of them stroke him. There was a black mass with angry eyes and an open mouth. Above that mass was a man...a man..that looked strangely like Kenneth. He was dressed like a monk, that was clear. There were other monks around but their faces weren't clear. In the man's hand was a long but thin column of white that pierced through the black mass. The scenery was pretty clear. The man had killed the mass, which probably represented one of the three great demon...but which one. There were no sign..it could be Satan Morroc, Beelzebub or Baphomet..there was no way to tell. Then...something caught his attention. Behind the man that looked like Kenneth was a woman with long black hair. She was pressed against him, like they were lovers. The man was holding her by the hip. One of the woman's hands was on the man's thigh...but her other was through his chest. His heart was in her hand...

Mathias looked for a long moment at this troubling image...then he was startled by the head master who just entered his room.

"Mathias I...what is this?"

"...you could knock" he said, his arm on the book to hide it...but it was not really working.

"...Your door was open Mathias. I don't like to repeat myself...what is this?"

"...don't panic.." he said as he showed her.

"...you are a crazy man! Where did you got this!"

"It doesn't matter where I found it. Just take a look"

"I'm not looking at this thing"

"Master...look" Mathias said with a very serious face. He'd called her master...he never called her master when they were alone...

Yolene took a look a the picture. "...is this what I think?"

"Yes...the prophecy"

"It does look like Kenneth...and that woman..could it be.."

"I don't know..."

The head master turned the page and looked at the next image. There was a man dressed like the pope. His eyes were closed and a dark shadow loomed over him. They were attached together with string...

"What does this mean..." Yolene asked.

"..it's the pope...obviously..."

"It looks like he's being controlled by this shadow above him.."

"...you sent word to the pope about what happened with Moohae, didn't you?" Mathias asked.

"...yes...but he never answered me..."

"..."

"wait wait wait. This is going to far. You're accusing the pope on images taken in a demonic book. There are millions of reason why he didn't answers me. The first being that he simply hates monk..."

"So what? we do nothing?"

"No other monks were corrupted Mathias and no demon tried to kill Kenneth either. Baphomet is still within his seal and we had no problem to keep it that way. Nothing happened...I know all this is strange...but I'm afraid there is nothing we can do but wait and see what happened..."

"...yes.." Mathias sighed "I suppose you are right...but you know it's not my style to just sit and wait."

"I'm afraid you don't have much choice Mathias. Now, I want you to put this book back where you took it"

"But it's..."

"Just be happy that I don't burn it myself old fool." She said as she left.

Mathias took a last look at the book before locking it again and hiding it in his room. This book was too important to just get rid of it like that...

* * *

><p>Verica was meditating on the cliff to the south, where Kenneth often brought her to meditate. All her thought were directed at Kebbaku. She was more praying than meditating really.<p>

But she also thought about everything Kenneth had told her in the forest. Kebbaku was with God now...Verica was not crying for Kebbaku, she was crying for herself. She cried because she needed to cry, simply. She had to mourn, it was only natural. Once her pain was gone, she would be able to find peace again...like Kenneth.

When he had given her the bandage...she felt something change in him. Like a burden had been lifted from his shoulder. The way he smiled at her...his smile had always been warm and comforting...but now it was more than that. It was peaceful. She wasn't sure why he changed like that but...she was happy.

But...What he told her about love...she found it really sad. She'd never thought much about love during her time at the church. It was simply forbidden. Now...it was not...but Kenneth talked about it like it was a sin. Lust was a sin...not love. How could he be so cold about it? He seemed like such a sweet man...with so much love to give...how could he turn his back on love like this? He was so kind, so caring and strong...and he was so handsome too...

'Don't go there...' She told herself. It was definitely not healthy to think of her sensei like that...even if it was true...no no no, stop thinking.

She looked up at the sky. She put her hand on her acolyte cross...and she wondered if Kebbaku was proud of her, even if she was not a priest. Did she really hated monks like the other priests...or was it just to follow orders that she didn't want her to talk to Kenneth back at the church?

She thought about that fatal day when she left the church. It seemed so far away..but it was only 2 years ago...

She laid down on the grass...wrapped in her thought...so many thoughts. She just wasn't able to meditate...Kenneth was right...she would need time to find peace again...

But she already felt better than the day before. Thanks to Kenneth. He really helped her understanding her feeling toward Kebbaku's death...and accepting it, even if it was hard. She would go through this...she knew she would...

* * *

><p>The sun was going down and Kenneth walked through the abbey until he arrived at his spot at the cliff to see Verica. He saw her...but she was sleeping on the ground. He walked up to her and sat beside her. He looked at her for a moment. She looked peaceful, so he didn't woke her up. She was taking too much of his habit...sleeping on the ground like this... like he often do.<p>

He laid down beside her and looked at the sky. He felt lighter. What happened to Verica made him realize that grief was a normal part of life. He was not the only one going thought this challenge. He had to stop mourning eventually. And honestly, he had mourn for much too long...yes..it was time to let the dead go...and concentrate on the living...

* * *

><p>Thank you for reading :) Comments always appreciated, good or bad.<p> 


	10. 3:Unwanted Information

I wrote and rewrote this chapter 5 times exactly. I just couldn't get it right the way I wanted. That's why it took so long for me to post it! The things is that I need to take shortcuts. Because I need my characters to grow up a lot, but I can't just describe every years in details! So I was a little bit confused about how I was going to do it. I tried many things...and finally this is what came out.

So here...this takes place 3 years after the last chapter. I know it's kind of sad because a lot can happen in 3 years...but since there isn't much romance for the moment I decided to do it anyway. As I said...I don't have much choice if I want my character to be old enough when the time comes :P

So here you go...I hope I won't disappoint anyone. If I do, please tell me.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10 unwanted information<strong>

Verica and Kenneth stood at the training ground early in the morning. Other monks passed by them, but didn't pay much attention to the two training monks. They passed most of their time there. It was like they were part of the environment.

Over the years, Verica came to be known as a very hard working student and Kenneth as an excellent teacher. Many people doubted him at first. Kenneth was known to be a kind and caring young man...but independent and solitary. No one thought he would be able to take care of a student properly, but time has proven them wrong. Many rumors travelled through the abbey over the years too...Kenneth and Verica were very close and people tended to get the wrong idea. It is true that they were very close, but it was nothing improper. Verica was a sister...he would say a daughter if it didn't make him feel so old. But for him, Verica was still the 16 years old girl he met at the Prontera church...even if she was 21 now...

She had been his student for 5 years now and she was learning so quickly. Kenneth often found himself jealous of her incredible talent.

"alright girl, breath slowly and do it, I know you can"

Verica did as she was told. She summoned five spirit spheres, one by one. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and concentrated.

Kenneth examined her. He turned around her and looked at her stance.

"Move your feet apart more. Straighten your back...there..." He told her as he helped her get it right.

"ok...you're all set...take your time, it's not easy but..."

Verica opened her eyes, looked at the training dummy in front of her and threw her spirit spheres rapidly at it with a swift movement of her hands and feets. The spheres crashed on the dummy, breaking it in pieces.

Kenneth looked at the dummy stunned...then looked back at his student...

"...well...not bad...you practiced this on your own...didn't you?"

"I didn't know the move existed until now..."

"...you're telling me you got this right...on your first shot...just like that?"

"...apparently yes..." She said with a grin.

"Holy crap...they called me a genius but...YOU are the real genius here! I just...can't believe it..."

"Maybe I was lucky..."

"yeah...lucky...it must be it. Try it again.."

Verica summoned her spheres again and threw them with the same ease at another dummy. Kenneth watched in awe once again...

"alright...you really are a natural... this is just...incredible..."

"Thank you sensei" Verica said with a big smile.

"Now I'm jealous..."

"aww, come one sensei" she said as she put her hands behind her head, proud of herself "I wouldn't be able to do it without you. I'm good because I have a good teacher!"

"Right, flatters me. I like it when you flatters me" he said sarcastically with a smile.

"But it's true! You're the youngest monk to ever achieve the champion status! That count for something!"

"if you continue like that, I've no doubt you'll become a champion at even a younger age than I did..." He said.

"Maybe, but I don't have you cleverness, your righteousness, your sense of responsibility..."

"ok ok, enough. There's a limit to flattery." He said as he laughed.

"You have everything for you sensei. You're tall, strong, caring, you have the most adorable smile and you're handsome. You have nothing to envy me" She said without really thinking.

"alright alright, I...you think I'm handsome?" Kenneth asked with a raised brow.

"did I say handsome?...well...I mean..for an old man..you are...I guess..." She said with a blush.

Kenneth chuckled "who are you calling old?"

"I'm just teasing you sensei" She said. She did think that Kenneth was handsome...she'd always thought so. But...it was just too awkward to admit it. Even though she was 21 now, she knew that for Kenneth, she was still a little girl. It exasperated her to no end that he just wasn't able to see how she'd grown up. But Kenneth was like that...she couldn't do anything about it. She tried to give him hints now and them about her thoughts...but most of the time it just felt too awkward...

"alright, let's resume your training." Kenneth said.

"yes sensei"

"That will have to wait boy"

They both turned around and saw Mathias walking toward them.

"Mathias...why do you always interrupt us during our training" Kenneth asked.

"Probably because you're always training boy"

"Hi Mathias" Verica said with a bright smile, happy to see him.

"Hello young girl" He replied with a wink. "How are you on this fine day?"

"I'm fine! I just made Kenneth jealous of my fabulous talent" she said with a grin.

"I was just kidding" Kenneth quickly said.

"And me I'm jealous of Kenneth because he spend all his time with a young and beautiful woman." Mathias said as he took Verica's hand and kissed it. "oh if only I was younger..."

Verica giggle. She really liked Mathias. She knew he was kidding, but she liked having his attention and being called pretty and beautiful. He was the only one here acknowledging her age. He was a kind old man...but a bit crazy...

"What do you want Mathias, except trying to bed my student" Kenneth asked exasperated. He just hated when Mathias did this. This old fool's habit with women had been the trigger to rumors about himself and Verica in the Abbey. Everyone thought that Kenneth was just like his sensei...God knows it wasn't the case...

"You have such a perverted mind Kenneth" Mathias said as he took Verica by the hip.

"me? perverted mind? let me laugh" he answered, not laughing at all.

"I'm just being a gentleman. I can't help it. When I'm around a cute girl, I can't control myself anymore. I have to compliment them. " he said as he smiled at her. She returned his smile with a blush. "What can I say, I love women and I love to compliment them. It makes me happy" he finished with a grin.

"Yes sensei. He's just being nice. You should try the compliment thing sometimes" Verica said as she hugged Mathias, playing the game.

"you...I...you'll be the death of me..." Kenneth said with a sigh.

"I think he's jealous that I'm getting all your attention." Mathias said with a grin to Verica.

"yes, he's definitely jealous" Verica replied.

"I'm not...urg...whatever! Why did you come here Mathias?" Kenneth finally asked.

Mathias regain his serious and let go of Verica.

"Moohae is coming back to the abbey." He said.

"and?"

"I need someone to bring him back safely"

"...don't tell me that...you want me to go?"

"As a matter of fact...yes, I do."

"...why don't you go yourself?"

"I have so much to do here...and I'm so old and weak...travels aren't good for my back and.."

"Travel? you just have to warp there! And don't give me that feeble old man act, you could knock me down with one hand..."

"...don't change the subject boy. Just go, it's an order."

"You're bossing me around now?"

"I'm your superior..."

"No you're not. We are both champion. We are equals..."

"I'm your elder, that count for something! Stop whining like a little girl and go"

"...there's something you're not telling me. You want ME to go...why me?"

"...you can be so paranoid sometimes.."

"I know you old man...everything you do has a purpose..."

"Then go to Gonryun and discover it by yourself" Mathias replied with a grin.

Kenneth sighed and abandoned. "alright, I'll go"

"Wonderful. Go, the portal is already open for you"

Kenneth looked at Verica with a desperate look.

"I'm sorry...you'll have to train on your own"

"It's ok sensei."

"yes, it's ok. I'll watch over her" Mathias said with a smile.

"is this supposed to reassure me?"

"no" Mathias answered with a grin.

Kenneth rolled his eyes and left with a heavy sigh.

"Why do you want him to go?" Verica asked to Mathias.

"Because I wanted to be alone with you of course, why else?" Mathias answered with a smile.

"..seriously Mathias.."

"...hm...I just...want him to meet someone.."He said.

"...You are a strange man..."

"I take it as a compliment" He replied "come, let's go eat something"

* * *

><p>Kenneth arrived at the warp portal and stepped into it. He arrived at the entrance of Gonryun, the floating island. Every time he came here, it always amazed him. Juno was also a flying city but...Gonryun was more impressive. He passed the two guards at the entrance and enter the city. He was immediately accosted by a bald monk.<p>

"how may I help you, brother"

"I..I'm here for Moohae, a monk that came here 5 years ago"

"yes...he's here. But I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little before bringing him back."

"...why?"

"He has not finished his meditation yet."

"...hm...can't he just...resume his meditation once we get back to the abbey"

"You can't interrupt a meditation"

"of course you can..."

"no...not that kind of meditation."

"...alright...how long will it takes?"

"only a few hours. Feel free to visit the city while he finishes"

"hours?...well...I think I'll just leave and come back..."

"no...I think you should stay"

"...why"

"This is a calm and peaceful city. I feel that you need it. You mind is troubled...stay for while"

"..."

"you should visit the shrine to the north...I believe you'll find it...interesting" The monk said before leaving.

Kenneth stayed where he was for a moment. He looked behind him at the portal and wondered if he should stay or leave. After some reflection, he decided to stay. Mathias wanted him to come..he had to find why.

He walked around the city. Everyone seemed happy and at peace...it was really relaxing to be here. He walked to one of the floating island outside the city and moved north until he arrived at the shrine the monk had spoken about. He walked around it a little...he didn't see what was so interesting about it...

"well well well...look what we have here..."

Kenneth turned around quickly.

"...who's there?"

He looked around but saw no one...was he hearing voices now?

"I knew I would see you here, sooner or later..."

He turned around again...looked everywhere but there really was no one around...

"who..who are you?"

"I am what your people would call an impious deity."

"...are you...The great Taoist Hermit?"

"You know of me...I am flattered"

"...my master told me about you...I..didn't believe you really existed. He said you were the first monk..the first to achieve inner peace. You transcended humanity and became...well...I'm not sure exactly what you became..."

"I never bothered to put a name on my condition"

"...but...where are you?"

A gust of wind blew around Kenneth. Clouds formed a sphere before him and he closed his eyes to shield them from the wind. When he opened them again, an old man, sitting cross-legged on a cloud, appeared in front of Kenneth. He was bald with a long gray beard and mustache. There were clouds on his clothes. Kenneth took a step back and looked at the hermit in font of him. He'd seen evil cloud hermits before in the Gonryun temple. Those were corrupted during their search for inner peace. It was the first time he saw an Hermit that was not corrupted... and he was probably the only one...

"..what..what do you want from me?" Kenneth asked.

"me? What could I want from you? I want nothing..."

"...but...you said you were expecting me..."

"When I talked with your master, I knew he would send you here..." the Taoist hermit said. His eyebrows were so big, Kenneth could barely see his eyes that were closed.

"...my master? You...you talked with Mathias?"

"He came to see me 5 years ago. He had questions for me"

"He never told me about it..."

"He didn't know if he was allowed to. So I suppose he sent you here to see if I would talk to you and answer you questions. And yes, I will..."

Kenneth looked at him stunned for a moment. This was probably why Mathias wanted him to come here...but...what was he supposed to ask..."

"I..I didn't mean to disturb you..I have no questions for you."

"That doesn't matter. I have things to tell you."

"...things...to tell me?"

"your destiny is bright and stands out amongst other humans. Demons seek your death and the gods bless you with visions...you must be confused in all this mist..."

"...you know about my dream?"

"Do you know what this dream mean young man?"

"...no...and I don't know why demons try to kill me either..."

The Taoist hermit remained silent for a moment before he spoke again.

"I couldn't answer the questions of your master because it didn't concern him...and I am not allowed to interfere directly with your world. But the stakes are too important for humanity's survival. I can not stay quiet any longer I'm afraid..."

"..What are you talking about?"

"A great danger is lying in wait. Demons are waiting the return of one of their master."

"one of the three great demons? which one?"

"I do not know. But a prophecy foretells that a man will prevent this abomination to spread on the world. This man is you."

"...what? how can you know this?"

"I know, that's all. But there is another piece of puzzle to consider. The prophecy tells of a woman"

"the woman from my dream? Verica?"

"Yes. It is said that this woman will take your heart to replace hers."

"...that doesn't make any sense..."

"Prophecies are written in metaphors and symbols...it is hard to interpret."

"..what else does this prophecy tells?"

"The lord will rise from the earth, destroying everything in its wake. The army of justice will walk on him, but a missing soldier will bring its downfall. A second chance might be offered if the proper choices have been made beforehand. If not, any kind of hope of survival for humanity will be wasted. To ensure victory, cunning demons will have to be. The chosen one will be impossible to defeat, but will be easily influenced to take the wrong path, because the good one will seem like the wrong. If he chooses wisely, love will ensure victory at any cost and the circumstances will be reversed. The lord will be defeated forever, at a high price for the hero, but will ensure a great victory against evil."

"...am I suppose to understand all this?"

"no...but I suggest you remember it. For when the time comes, maybe some of this will make sense according to the situation..."

"what about Verica. The prophecy doesn't talk about her..."

"yes...but in a symbolic way...I'm just not sure which words represent her..."

"...so you're telling me that I must prevent humanity's destruction?"

"yes"

"...Oh...well...no big deal..." Kenneth said sarcastically.

He sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. He closed his eyes and bowed his head.

"This is...this is too much. Too much for a lone man" He said as he looked back at the hermit. "I...I never asked for this! This is too much pressure...too heavy on my shoulders..."

"Then give up...and let humanity be destroyed..."

"...You don't understand...you can't understand..."

"There is no need to understand anything. Did Thanatos complained that it was too hard when he defeated Satan Morroc and sealed him? Did the nameless hero decided to abandoned his quest and surrender when he faced Baphomet in st. capitolina's catacombs? No. They did what they had to do, because humanity's future depended on them."

"I...I'm no hero...I'm not Thanatos...nor am I the nameless hero. I'm just...a simple man..."

"They too, were just simple man, before becoming heroes..."

"...This is hard to accept..."

"I know. But whether you like it or not, the fate of the world depends on you. Remember your oath, Champion."

"...My oath?"

"St. Capitolina Abbey's oath state that you will sacrifice yourself to achieve your goal and will willingly die for others on your path of being an holy executioner...isn't that what your order dictates?"

Kenneth looked at the hermit for a moment, then looked back at the ground...

"Yes...I did take this oath...but..."

"But what?"

"...It's something to die in the line of duty...it's something else to have the fate of the world on your shoulders! I'm not afraid to die! I would die right here and now if that was what God expected from me and if it could save the world! But this prophecy..."

Kenneth sat on the ground and sighed. His head hurt from all this information he was getting. This was...too much...

"It says I must make choices...the right ones! The world's survival will depend on my capacity to choose the good path! How can I continue to live, not knowing what those choices will be and what is the good decision? I'm not...a sage or...a philosopher or anything! I'm just a monk! A simple monk in search of inner peace, harmony and balance! I will fight as much a God wants me to! I'll go to hell myself and kill every demons on my path if he wants! But he can't...make the world's destiny depend on my judgment! How...how can I be sure to make the right choice! This is...this is impossible! I can't...do this alone..."

"But you are not alone, human" The Taoist hermit said. Kenneth looked up at him with a confused look. "You have friends and people who cares about you. Friendship and love is what make your kind strong amongst other creatures. Have faith in the people around you. They will help you make the right decision. And who knows...maybe God himself will guide you..."

Then he vanished in a whirlwind of clouds. Kenneth stayed where he was for a moment. Thoughts ran through his head quickly. He wasn't sure what to make of all this. Maybe...maybe it wasn't true. Maybe this was just a dream...and he was about to wake up...or maybe the Taoist hermit was just wrong...

...Who was he kidding...there was no way the Taoist hermit could be wrong about it. And the demons already tried to kill him. This was true...he really was...the chosen one.

It sounded so odd in his head. The chosen one...he already hated that title.

He stood up slowly and decided not to think too much about all this. He needed the opinion of someone else. He would bring Moohae back and once at the abbey he would talk with Mathias. Maybe he could help him...

* * *

><p>Verica and Mathias sat the sanctuary with their food and ate as they spoke.<p>

"So...it's been 3 years since your teacher's death...I don't mean to bring back bad memories but...how do you feel about it?" Mathias asked the young girl.

"..Well..I miss her. I mean...I would still miss her even she wasn't dead. Because I wouldn't be able to see her since she's a priest and I have to stay here. But to know that there is absolutely no chance that I might see her again now...it's kind of worse."

"I see..."

"But...the worse in all this is...I can't forgive myself..."

"...What do you mean?"

"The way I left her...I'm so...ashamed of myself...because I didn't say goodbye to her in person before leaving..."

"That's just the way things happened. You can't change it"

"I know...but it still hurts."

"..Guilt, shame and fear are the most difficult things to overcome when someone you love die."

"...What do you mean?"

"The guilt of the last things you told them, the shame of the way you left them and the fear to lose someone else...those are hard feelings that come with grief."

"...Yes...you're right..."

"But all this is normal. When you accept those feelings, you realize that grief is just a transfer of love. Your love for your teacher is still inside you. It must be redirected at someone else. Like Kenneth did. His love for Julian was so strong...it was hard to focus it somewhere else. But he found something in you. You're important to him. You helped him realize his feelings toward her death and overcome them. You'll do the same...someday."

"I hope it won't take me 10 years" Verica said with a smile.

"Haha, yes, well, some lost are harder than others" Mathias answered as he looked at his food.

"You lost someone you loved too?"

"...I'm so much older than you girl...I lost many people...but that's how life works."

"I'm glad to have you with me Mathias. Your wisdom is appreciated." She said.

"aaah, thank you young girl. You please this old man that I am" He answered with a bright smile.

"Kenneth is a good teacher and a good person...but sometime he can be quite cold. I mean...it can be hard to talk with him sometimes..."

"Hahaha, yes, indeed. But he's your teacher. When you teach, you try to keep some kind of authority. That's why he may seems cold...but believe me, he cares a lot about you."

"I know...I just...sometime I wish he could see me like I am..."

"What do you mean?"

"He still sees me like a little girl...I'm 21...I wish he would see me like a woman...not a kid.."

"aah...yes...it's hard to see kids growing up, especially girls. But don't worry. He won't have a choice to acknowledge your growth eventually. Once he get his head out of his ass for a minute!" Verica laughed as he spoke. "Then he will see those wonderful curves you have" He said as he made the curve movement with his hands. "and he'll be all like "oh God, what a sexy student I had. Why didn't I realize it sooner? Marry me please!" and you'll be like "oh sensei, take me in your arms!"" he said as he tried to imitate her voice.

"Hahaha, I said I wanted him to treat me like an adult Mathias! I don't want him to marry me! How awkward that would be! As much as he's a sweet and caring man...he's my teacher for God's sake! I...I wouldn't want him...to fall in love with me" she said as she poked her food.

"Neither would I! I wouldn't want to compete with him for your love. A young man like him, I don't stand a chance!" He joked.

"hehe, you're crazy Mathias."

"Maybe, haha."

"Can I ask you something...personal?" she said shyly.

"hm? of course!"

"All this flirting you do with me and all those compliments...are you just...teasing me and exasperating Kenneth...or do you mean it?"

Mathias looked at Verica stunned for a second, then he smiled and took her hand.

"Girl, you are the prettiest girl...no...woman I've seen in a long time. You're clever and kind. Everything I tell you, I mean it. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. You are beautiful, and I mean it"

Verica looked away shyly as she smiled. "thank you..."

"Well, I mean everything, except the flirt of course! You're 34 years younger than me! That would just be weird!" Mathias continued as he let go of her hand and laugh.

"Well...considering your reputation..."

"My reputation?"

"Yeah...you know..is it true? What they say about you?"

"It depends...what do they say about me?"

"That you...well..." She reddened with embarrassment as she spoke.

"That I fuck everything I see?"

"..I...wouldn't have...said it like that..." she said as she looked away.

"hahaha, I'm sorry. I like to embarrass you. But...why do you want to know?...is that an offer?"

"Eewwww, no! ….I'm sorry but...you're much too old!"

"hehe, yes...I know, I'm just making fun of you girl. You want the truth? Well yes, I once was what they call a womanizer. I slept with many women and I never felt guilty doing so. I hurt many of them...but that's how life is."

"I suppose you weren't in love with all those women..."

"No...but I did love a few of them...There was this dancer in Comodo...ah, anyway. I'm sure you don't want to hear about it!" Mathias said as he laugh.

"...But...lust is a sin..."

"Who told you that?"

"...The Bible of course"

"And who wrote the Bible?"

"...Men..."

"Exactly. I have much respect for these men...but I don't see why I should believe what they say blindly."

"...What do you mean? They speak the words of God!"

"Are you sure about that?"

"...I...well..."

"No need to answer. The thing is...I like to have my own opinion. I don't think lust is a sin...it is part of what make us human...nothing more"

"...Kenneth was right...you really are blasphemous..."

"..Yes. Towards the Bible and the Pope, I suppose I am. But I believe in God nonetheless and I serve him the best I can. I just don't agree with the people who claim to speak in his name!"

"...You are a strange monk..."

"Yes...maybe I am" Mathias said with a smile.

"So...you think it's ok for a monk to love?

"Of course...why?"

"It's just that...Kenneth doesn't seem to think it's a good thing"

"hm, yeah...Kenneth has...as very cold vision of love, but I believe you understand why.."

"...Yes...but still..."

"Listen...love...is the most beautiful thing that can happen to a human. It's true that it's hard for a monk...but it's hard for everyone! Love is not easy to get and it's certainly not easy to keep. If you ever fall in love...don't turn it down. Accept your feeling and do everything you can to keep it. I speak from experience. Believe me. If you don't seize it when it pass ...you might not have another chance. Whatever people might say, love is ALWAYS worth it. Even if it only last a few days."

"wow...I never thought you believed in love so much..."

"It's not because I love sex that I don't believe in love itself..I was just...unlucky with it..."

"I feel like no one is ever lucky with love..."

"Well, the head master was married once..."

"Really?"

"Yes. With a crusader. But he died some time ago in the line of duty..."

"oh..."

"But she was happy for the time she was with him. It's all that matters" Mathias replied.

"I suppose...do you think that's how Kenneth feels about his time with Julian?"

"...Kenneth is...a very emotional boy. When he got here...he had lots of trouble to control them. But to be a monk, you must be the master of your emotions, and so he had no choice but to learn to control them. But...it's against his nature to do so..."

"What do you mean..."

"He's a sweet boy, very close to his emotions. It takes a lot of effort for him not to let them all out. He often breaks down when he's with people he trust...maybe you have experienced one of his emotive outburst.."

"A little, yes..." Verica said as she thought about the time she was in the forest with him after Kebbaku's death. The way he had yelled at her...it was not pleasant.

"That's just who he is...even if he hide it well most of the time. But Julian...that was too much for him. He's so warped in his sadness that he can't see all the good times he had with her. But...I believe he's starting to move on now. Thanks to you."

"I'm glad for him" Verica replied with a smile. "He's a very good teacher and...I care a lot about him. I want him to be happy..."

"You are very kind Verica. He wants you to be happy too. You know...I'm so glad he took your apprenticeship seriously. I was afraid he would just try to solve the mystery of his dream with you. But actually, he completely forgot about it and really concentrated on your well being...I'm proud of him."

"...His dream?"

"Yes, you know..."

Verica looked at him with a confused look. Mathias stopped to eat suddenly and looked at her, eyes wide.

"You mean you...oh..."

"What are you talking about?"

"..nothing...haha. I'm an old man...I...sometime my mind is misty..."

"Mathias...what are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything sweetheart." he said as he started to eat again and ignored her. Verica took his wrist and stopped him.

"Mathias! answer me, now! What dream?"

"I...if Kenneth didn't tell you then...I shouldn't speak about it..."

"Mathias, tell me!"

"it's...urg...alright...but..you may not like it..." Mathias said with a sigh.

Then he started to tell her all about Kenneth's dream...

* * *

><p>"aah, Kenneth...I'm glad to see you again" Moohae said to Kenneth as he arrived in front of the warp portal.<p>

"I'm glad to see you too...how do you feel?"

"Better than ever. How are you?"

"I'm fine"

"no one..tried to kill you?"

"...no...not since you.."

"yes...I...I apologize for..."

"Let's not come back on the past...let's go if you don't mind, now that you finished your meditation..."

"..what meditation?"

"...you..."

"I wasn't meditating...I was just waiting for you to arrive..."

"..." Kenneth looked at the monk behind him suspiciously, but the monk simply looked at him with an innocent smile.

"anyway...let's get going..." Moohae said.

They said goodbye to the monks and stepped into the portal. They arrived to the abbey safe and sound.

"aaah. Gonryun is a wonderful city...but my place really is here!" Moohae said to Kenneth with a smile.

"you should go see the head master Moohae. I'm sure she has much to tell you." Kenneth replied.

"yes...thank you for bringing me back."

"It's nothing."

They parted ways outside the abbey. Kenneth needed to talk with Mathias, so he concentrated to feel his presence. He felt it at the sanctuary so he ran there. Once he arrived at the door, Mathias was sitting on a stone and he looked...depressed.

"Mathias I...what's wrong? Did...did someone died?"

Mathias looked up at him.

"I...I'm sorry Kenneth. I made...an horrible mistake..."

"..what's going on?"

"I...accidently...spoke about your dream..."

"you don't mean..."

"yes...Verica knows..."

"you told her about my dream!"

"I...I didn't mean to...I thought she already knew..."

"oh God...and..how did she react?" Kenneth asked anxious.

"...I...I'm not sure. She didn't say anything."

"...Where is she?"

"...She...she left the abbey and ventured into the forest"

"...WHAT? and you let her go? this is dangerous! There are beast and bandits! She may be dead by now!"

"She can defend herself Kenneth. I...I thought she needed some time alone..."

"Defend herself? Yes, against a training dummy, I guess she can! She never fought for real against real enemies since her monk tests! You shouldn't have let her go!"

"Well, I did..."

Kenneth sighed as he took his head between his hands. He walked around as he thought...

"alright...I'll go after her...I hope she didn't hide her presence...otherwise it will be a pain to find her."

"Maybe you should leave her alone boy..."

"Shut up Mathias! This is your fault! Don't tell me what to do!" Kenneth said pointing his finger at the old man. "Enough with your advice!"

He started to run toward St. Capitolina's gate. Mathias watched him running away and sighed. He looked up at the sky and mentally slapped himself. What a fool he could be sometimes...

* * *

><p>There you go...I'm not nearly as satisfied as I wish I would be...but after rewriting this 5 times differently...you have to give up eventually XD Thank you for reading.<p> 


	11. 3:Heated Argument

Here you go, finally some action I guess. I hope you'll like reading this as much as I liked writing it :P

I suppose I should warn you that there is mention of rape in this chapter. I hope you are comfortable with the subject. It's nothing explicit, but it's there nonetheless. Be careful.

Thank you very much for reading and for your reviews :) it's a wonderful motivation to know people are enjoying what you write ^_^

Thank you to "TooLazyToLogin" :P I can't pm you so I'll say it here, I'm glad you like my story :) thank you very much

And a particular thanks to LightChimera who always gives me very constructive comments. You really helped me out :D

Oh and I did an image cover also :) if you're interested in seeing it bigger, here's the link to my deviantart: www. verica. deviantart. com just remove the spaces. It's called the way of the fist so it should be easy to spot :P

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11 Heated argument<strong>

"I can't believe it..."

Verica sat on a dead tree stump, somewhere in Prontera Forest. She was looking in front of her, but her head was in the clouds...

She'd run straight forward for at least an hour, not looking where she was going. What a stupid idea it was...running in the forest like that. But she panicked...

When Mathias told her about Kenneth's dream...something stopped working in her head. Stunned was not enough to describe how she felt. When she got out of her stupor, she just started to run...she didn't know what else to do...

Thoughts ran through her head and memories came back to the surface. She was remembered of her first meeting with Kenneth...and everything made sense all of a sudden: Why he waited for her at the Prontera gate, why he wanted to teach her so badly and why everyone seemed surprise to see him with an apprentice. Yes...now it all made sense. Kenneth didn't care for her. All those years with him... they were lies and delusions. He wouldn't have taken her with him if it wasn't for his dream, she was sure of that now. She was just...someone who looked like a girl in his dream. It had been a roll of a dice. She had just been lucky (or unlucky) to have purple hair and dark eyes...otherwise, Kenneth would never have noticed her. The more she was thinking about it, the more she felt stupid. She should have known...she should have noticed that something was off. How stupid and naive she could be...

"...Verica..."

Verica turned her head around quickly when she heard her name. She saw Kenneth and got up immediately. She took a step to run away...

"no! Please wait!" Kenneth said as he reached out for her. He could have grabbed her arm, but he didn't want to provoke her so he didn't.

Verica looked away from him, but stayed where she was. Kenneth respected the distance she had put between them. He scratched the back of his head as he sighed, trying to figure out what to say.

"Verica...I'm sorry..."

She continued to look at the ground...

"I...I should have told you about my dream. Look...I know you're upset but...I didn't know how you would react..."

"yeah, well, now you know!" she spitted angrily.

"...I didn't mean to hurt you or anything...I just...actually, I don't know why I didn't tell you. I suppose...I felt it was just not important..."

"not important?" Verica yelled back as she looked up at him with wide eyes, on the verge of tears "How can you say that?"

"..."

"..you...you brought me here with you so I could become a monk. You said I had potential and you did everything you could to be my teacher. You...you cared so much about me..." Tears started to flow "And now...I learn that all this...had nothing to do with me personally. I just look like a girl you saw in your dream...nothing more..."

"That's not true and you know it..." Kenneth said, remaining calm.

"Don't lie to me! Would you have taken me as a student if it wasn't for your dream?"

"I...well..."

"I don't think so! Everyone was surprised to see that you had brought an apprentice. Now I understand why!" She continued, loosing more and more her cool.

"alright...yes, I admit it. I...I don't think I would have taken you if it wasn't for my dream. But...that doesn't change the potential I felt from you and this incredible talent you have!"

"That's not the point!" She yelled "The point is that you lied to me!"

"I didn't lie...I just...didn't tell you everything..."

"Yeah, play with words! You always told me you weren't good with words, but I suppose that's just another lie!" She replied as she wiped away her tears.

"...Verica..."

"You don't care about me anyway. You just want to know why you saw me in your dream! That's why you stick with me! That's all!"

"no...that's not..."

"I trusted you! I abandoned my priest apprenticeship to follow you! I thought I was doing it for the right reason! But...nothing was like I thought...nothing was like you made me believe!"

"But you're a good monk!" Kenneth said, raising is voice a little "You're happy here. That count for something!"

"That's not the point!"

"The point is that you're just angry and being childish!" Kenneth yelled " You're overreacting! My dream doesn't change anything to the situation"

"yes it does!"

"NO, it doesn't" He screamed. The forest went silent all of a sudden and Verica took a step back.

"yes, I hid things from you, so what? Big deal! Sorry to pop your bubble girl, but I'm not going to be the only one lying or hiding things from you in your life. Welcome to the grown up world! You gotta deal with it!" Kenneth yelled, pointing his finger at her. He looked angry and exasperated at the same time. Normally, his outburst would have scared Verica, but presently, it just angered her even more...

"The grown up world? You're the one who's treating me like a little girl! I bet you came running after me because you thought I couldn't handle myself out here!"

"Yes! Exactly! And I still think you can't!"

"Why can't you see that I'm an adult! I'm 21 for God's sake! You don't need to hide things from me for my protection! I'm old enough to know about things that concerns me! You don't need to follow me like my shadow to make sure nothing happens to me either! Why can't you see!" Verica said as she moved closer to Kenneth a little.

"Yes, well, maybe if you didn't act so childish I wouldn't treat you like a child!" Kenneth replied, moving closer as well.

"You treat me like a child because you like it! Maybe it makes you feels superior or something! I don't know what is your problem, but it's really getting on my nerve!" She stood on tiptoe to try to be at eye level with him, but she still had to raise her head to look at him in the eyes.

"You are the one getting on my nerve! This is ridiculous! You are overreacting to all this! You're just an impudent brat who doesn't know her place!" Kenneth yelled at her face, only a few inches away from her.

"Fuck you!"

"You insolent little b..."

Verica took a quick and short breath and threw her hand at her sensei's face, slapping him violently.

Everything went to fast...neither of them understood what happened. Kenneth stayed there, head turned with a shocked expression. Verica looked at him, panting heavily, as what she had done started to seek in...

After a few seconds, Kenneth turned his head back toward her. He kept his eyes closed as he ran his hand through his hair and sighed. Verica looked at the ground, guilty...but there was no way she was apologizing...he deserved that slap...right?

"alright...listen" Kenneth said as he looked back at her. She could see no more anger in his eyes...but she was still angry. "It's dangerous here...there are beasts and bandits. Come back with me at St Capitolina and..."

"no!" She said as she looked away.

"Verica..."

"I said no! I'm done listening to you!"

Kenneth was about to yelled back at her, but he restrained himself at the last moment. This girl was so stubborn...

"Be rational please..."

"I'll be rational when you will!" She said crossing her arms on her chest.

"That's enough!" He said, raising his voice again. She wanted to play it like this. Fine. He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him. "You're coming with me whether you like it or not!"

"Let me go!" She yelled back as she tried to break free from his grip, but with little success.

As he was dragging her toward the Abbey, a Bigfoot approached from behind Verica. They both looked up at it in surprise. The Bigfoot attacked them and Kenneth quickly pushed Verica out of the way as he let go of her arm. He dodged the blow by moving back, but the Bigfoot kept attacking him. Kenneth continued to step back, avoiding the Bigfoot's claws as he summoned spirit spheres. When he saw an opening, he punched the beast on the muzzle and then jumped above his head. While in the air, he threw his spheres at him. The Bigfoot staggered as he growled. Kenneth landed on his feet and punched him a few more time in the back, until the Bigfoot collapsed on the ground, panting and exhausted.

Kenneth stood up, panting as well a little. He didn't kill the Bigfoot, for a monk never kills when he can avoid it. All life is valuable, even the life of the tiniest bug. But sometime, self-defence is not enough. In that case, even if he didn't understand why the Bigfoot attacked them, there was no need to kill it...

He mentally slapped himself though. He was so involved in his argument with Verica that he hadn't felt his presence at all. He turned around to check his student.

"Are you al..."

Verica was not there anymore...she took the occasion to run away...damn it.

He tried to concentrate to feel her presence, but she was hiding it this time. It would be a pain to find her again. Maybe he could leave her alone...give her some time to calm down...

But then he looked up at the sky...it was getting dark. He couldn't possibly let her wander alone in the forest at night...he had to find her...and bring her back somehow.

* * *

><p>Verica ran as fast as she could between the trees without looking behind her. She just hoped that Kenneth wasn't chasing after her. She needed time...to think this through...<p>

...Guilt started to fall on her. What she told him...she didn't really mean it. Well...yes but...it came out all wrong. Kenneth was right...she overreacted and she was being childish. But she had reasons to be angry! It's just that she hated it so much when he was right like this. And she hated it even more when he was so calm while she was not. She always felt the need to make him angry when she was, even if it was a bit hard to make Kenneth angry. And...well, maybe it hadn't been the brightest idea to run away into the forest either...

She stopped running and came to a stop eventually. She looked around her and saw that it was night already...damn...she really needed to come back at the abbey...but how?

She turned around and started to walk in a random direction. She was in so much trouble...she had no way to know how to go back! She could only continue to walk and hope that she was going in the right direction...

All she hoped was that Kenneth wouldn't find her...after all her speech about how she could take care of herself, it would be really humiliating to need him to go back...

She continued to walk for what seemed like hours. She continued to think about her issue with Kenneth...she was so wrapped in her thought that she didn't noticed the campfire a few meters away...

Suddenly, she fell over. She tripped on a rope, stretched between two trees. A trap...

A net fell on her and 3 men came down from the trees as well. She managed to break free from the net, but before she could get up, chains surrounded her and she was tied up tightly. She fell on her stomach as someone pushed her from behind. She then felt her feet being tied up as well...

"Look what we have here..." Verica heard from her right. She looked up at the 3 men.

They were all thieves...a bunch of smugglers with no pride...

"What do you low-life want from me?" She yelled as she struggled against her chains.

"easy now" One of the men said as he crouched before her "You just had the bad luck to stumble across our camp. You triggered one of our trap...yes...bad luck indeed..." He continued.

"Yeah...you're one unlucky little girl!" Another man said as he laughed.

"...Then let me go...before I kill you all where you stand!" Verica said as she spitted in the face of the man in front of him.

The 2 other men laughed as the other one wiped the dribble from his face. He looked at Verica angrily and slapped her.

"You fucking bitch..."

"Calm down man." Said the other thief. "Let's just bring her to the boss...I'm sure he'll be happy to have company... " He walked up to Verica and pulled on her hair to make her look at him "and if we are lucky, we might have a piece of it too"

Verica looked at the man with an hint of fear in her eyes...He couldn't mean...

The 3 men laughed as one of them took Verica. He threw her on his shoulder and they started to walk toward the camp.

They arrived at their "camp". Really, it was just a fire with a bunch of sleeping bag around it. There was only one tent.

"She's the one who triggered the trap?" One of the man in the camp asked.

"Yeah...aren't we lucky, hehe"

All these men were thieves. She was pretty sure she could handle some bandit if she managed to breaks free from her chains...but there were at least 15 of them...it was a bit much. The best would be to be stealthy...

The man carrying her entered the tent. He stopped at the entrance and dropped Verica on the ground. She fell on her side with a thud. She looked up and saw a man with long brown hair. He was turning his back to her...so she couldn't tell what he looked like.

"Hey boss, we found this little girl in the forest. She triggered one of our trap."

"A little girl?" He asked without turning around.

"Yeah...a pretty little girl...she probably got lost or something. Hey, but I warn you, she got a dirty mouth!"

The man got up and turned around. He was around 30 years old. He had brown emotionless eyes and a light beard. Verica found him handsome on her first look, until she realized what he was wearing. She gasped at what she saw...this was no ordinary thief. This man was a stalker...She had no chance against him! He looked down at her and then looked up at the thief.

"This is no little girl, you dumbass. She's a monk."

"...a what?"

"Whatever. You don't deserve that I waste my saliva to explain you something so complex."

"...er...I'm not sure to understand..."

"exactly.." The man said exasperated. He walked up to Verica and crouched in front of her. "What are you doing here, so far from you order?"

"...I...This is...none of your business" Verica replied, trying to hide her fear. This man scared her to no end. This was a real criminal. A murderer with no emotions...Who knows what he could do to her...

"hm...I don't really care anyway." He said as he got up. "Put her there" He said as he pointed toward a corner of the tent. "And gag her..."

"but hm...what will you do with her?"

"What does it matter?" The stalker asked as he sat back at a table where parchments and maps were.

"Well...if...if you don't want her...we will gladly take care of her" The thief said laughing as he took Verica in his arms.

"She's too beautiful for you. Beside, she's a monk..."

"so what?" The thief asked as he put her down where the other man had told him.

"...It's like she's a priest"

"...and...what does it have to do with anything?"

The man sighed " It means she's a fucking virgin, you stupid brain-damaged monkey."

"..oohh, right..."

"I am not!" Verica yelled

The stalker turned toward her "is that so?"

"I...monks are not like priests!"

"Really? I thought lust was a sin condemned by God."

"it's...yes but...that doesn't mean we are not allowed to..."

"oh...well, my apology. I was mistaken." he looked back at the thief. "you can take her in that case. Have fun."

"What?"

"haha, you're the best boss" The thief said as he took Verica in his arm again, but she struggled to get away form his touch.

"n...no, WAIT!"

"I wanted to spare you the trauma of loosing your virginity to a gang of no-manners pigs. I'm a gentleman and I've a minimum of decency. But if you're already accustomed with..."

"no! please! I..I am! I am a virgin...please don't..." She yelled as she was being dragged away outside.

"Come back" The man said.

The thief reluctantly came back into the tent. The stalker looked back at Verica who was starting to cry.

"I know you are. It's obvious. Put her back there. I'll take care of her. You might have a piece later...maybe...it will depend of her."

"but boss..."

"and gag her. I have to work, I don't want to hear her."

"but..."

"You speak again and I cut your tongue."

"..."

The thief dropped Verica back in the corner of the tent. He took a large rope and gagged her with it. It tasted horrible...but it was better than going outside with all those thugs...

The thief left and the stalker didn't pay much attention to her after that. He just continued to work at his table. She heard many noises from outside. Laughter and sounds of fight. But nothing happened for a long time. She tried in vain to removed her chain, but there was nothing she could do. Her only hope...was Kenneth. She stopped hiding her presence and started to pray that Kennth was still looking for her...and that he would find her...in time...

Eventually everything went silent. They were probably all sleeping. But the stalker continued to work, ignoring her. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he stopped to write and spoke.

"What a bunch of losers I'm working with..." He said as he sighed. He turned toward Verica and stared at her intensely. "you know, I used to work with an elite team of rogues and assassins...but I got captured by the Royal guard. I managed to escape prison with other prisoners...but now I'm stuck with them...I really need a new gang...those men have no class."

Verica listened to him from her fetal position in the corner of the tent. She tried to concentrate and find a way to get out of here...but she was starting to be too scared to think straight. Where the hell was Kenneth...

"You know...you really are beautiful..."He said as he got up from his chair.

He moved toward Verica, who tried to move away but she had nowhere to go. The man sat in front of her and removed the rope from he mouth. Her first thought was to scream for help...but it would be useless. No one could hear her here. He helped her getting up so she could sit on her legs. The man took an apple from a basket of fruit and offered it to her. She looked at him with fear and didn't say anything as she tried not to move.

"Are you hungry?"

"..."

"Do you want an apple?"

"..."

"no? ok..." He said as he started to eat it.

"..what...what are you going to do with me?" She asked in a whisper.

"...keep you here...for as long as I can I guess. I'm a little bit lonely here..."

"...so...you..."

"hm?"

"...you're not going to...rape me?"

"...Please, don't use that word...it's such an...ugly word..."

"...but you won't? will you?"

"...of course I will dear. But...I like to believe that you'll be cooperative. In that case, no need to use the word rape anymore. I really don't like that word..." he said as he put down his apple.

"...I...no..please! please don't do this! I..I can do whatever you want!"

"Don't worry. As I said, I'm a gentleman. I'll try not to hurt you too much. I'll take care of you. You're a beautiful woman and you deserve to be treated with respect." He said. Then, he took a dagger from his belt. "But, I expect you to treat me with respect as well." He brought the dagger at Verica's neck "cooperate, and I won't let you be gang banged by my men. The choice is yours, but I think you'll agree that my offer is much more advantageous..."

Verica gulped as tears started to fell. She closed her eyes and bowed her head in surrender. The man brushed her tears away with his thumb, the dagger still at her neck.

"It's ok. Belive me, it could be worse. You'll see. I'm not such a bad man" he said as he approach his lips from hers.

She turned her head before he could kiss her. The man took her jaw with his hand. He forced her to look at him as the dagger sank in the skin of her neck a little. She gasped as she looked at him in the eyes. She saw him closing in again for a kiss. She tried to turn again but his grip on her jaw prevented her from avoiding him. She closed her eyes and held her breath as she felt his lips on hers. His lips were dry and the more he pressed against her the more she hated it. She tried to move back but he moved as well and followed her lips. Eventually she moved back too much and fell on her back as she gasped. The stalker looked at her fearful expression with an hint of pity in his eyes as he dropped his dagger.

"It's ok" He said as he bent down above her "You'll get use to it."

He put one of his hand on her cheek and kissed her again. He stretched out his tongue to enter her mouth but she kept it shut for as long as she could. But when he pressed on her chin with his thumb, she had no choice but to open it. As she felt his tongue inside her mouth, she tried to prevent hers from touching his. But it was impossible. His tongue went everywhere and the taste was disgusting. His other hand raised to her arm and slided down. It stopped on her hips where he grabbed her outer-thigh firmly. She wanted to push him off, but her hands were tied to her body with the chains. When she felt one of his hand trying to pull her legs apart, she panicked. She tried with all her strength to keep her thighs together. The man untied her feet and she immediately took the occasion to try to kick him. But her panic made her clumsy. The stalker managed to get himself between her legs and he pressed himself against her, trapping her with his weight. She closed her eyes as she cried. She wanted to scream but her throat was dry. He tried again to kiss her but she turned her head again, and so the man started to kiss her neck instead. Verica kept her eyes shut as she slowly surrendered. There was nothing she could do...nothing her brain was able to process. And Kenneth was not coming...he was not going to come...she cried and let the man kissed her neck as his hands started to remove the brooch holding her coat at her neck.

"I'll be gentle, I promise" He whispered in the crook of his neck.

She just continued to cry, eyes close, as her coat was being opened and her belt being untied.

...Then she heard a strange noise and everything stopped. She no longer felt his tongue on her neck...nor his hands on her body. Just his weight on her chest...

Then she felt him moving away from her. She heard a thud beside her and footsteps. She opened her eyes and saw the stalker, unconscious on the ground beside her. She looked above her and saw Kenneth, looking at her with a gaze filled with worries.

"Are you ok..." he whispered.

"..." She just looked at him as she continued to cry and pant.

"It'll be alright" He continued as he crouched and started to untie her. "I'll get you out of here"

Once he was finished, he took her in his arm. Verica hugged him back and clung to him.

"I'm so sorry...I wish I'd come sooner..."

"..." Verica didn't answer. She just buried her head in the crook of his neck and breathed in his reassuring scent. Kenneth tried to let go of her, but she hang on his clothes with her fist like her life depended on it.

"It's ok...I'm with you. I'm not leaving without you...but we have to go, now" He said as he forced her to let go.

Kenneth took her brooch on the ground and tied her coat back with a smile, then tied her belt. He looked at her with compassion as he hugged her again. He felt her shaking in his arms and it broke his heart...but they had to hurry...

"Let's go..."

Verica looked back at the stalker on the ground...

"Is he...dead?"

"no...just unconscious. We must hurry."

"..."

Kenneth got up and looked outside the tent to make sure the others were still asleep. Verica looked back at the man again...then at his dagger. Without thinking, she took it and approach the man. She was about to pierce his heart with it, but Kenneth grabbed her shaking wrist.

"Don't"

"...why?"

"You don't need to kill him"

"He deserves to die..."

"who are you to decide?" He said with the most serious face she'd ever seen on him.

"...you want to let him live?"

"A monk doesn't kill if he can avoid it. Every life is worth something to God..."

"how can you say that...didn't you...see what he tried to do?" she said, raising her voice a little.

"yes...and believe me it took me everything not to kill him myself. But this is not what we do. We are not murderers...we are not assassins. Kill him, and you're not better than him." He said as he took the dagger from her hand. "Now let's go"

Verica took a last look at the stalker, then reluctantly followed her sensei outside the tent. Kenneth stopped just outside and looked at the sleeping thieves. He turned toward Verica behind him.

"Let's not wake them" he whispered.

They discreetly made their way through the camp, but Verica was still shocked. Her legs shook and she had trouble to stay straight. As she strode over one of the bandit, her legs abandonned her and she fell.

"hn...what the..." the thief woke up, a little confused, but he quickly realized what was going on "hey! the girl is escaping!" he yelled.

Kenneth quickly took Verica in his arm and started to run toward the Abbey. The thieves woke, one by one and the commotion started. As Kenneth ran, one of the thief took throwing knives out of a bag and throw them at the two monks. Kenneth put Verica back on the ground and turned around toward the thieves.

"Run!" he screamed to Verica as he caught the first knife and dropped it on the ground.

Verica started to run the best she could, panicked. Kennth stayed behind and deflected all the knives with his padded gloves, except one that sliced his upper arm. Verica saw the knife pass to her right. She turned around and screamed.

"Kenneth!"

"I'm ok, just run!" Kenneth replied as he summoned 5 spirit spheres and used them to enter fury state. The thieves ran toward him. When they were close enough, Kenneth jumped forward and unleashed a palm push strike, knocking back all the bandits in front of him. The thieves screamed as they collapsed on the ground. Kenneth then caught up with Verica in the wood. He stopped in front of her and crouched.

"Climb on my back!"

Verica did as she was told. Once she was installed, Kenneth jumped on a tree and started to jump from branch to branch. He concentrated on the thieves' presence, but he didn't feel them following. He continued to move forward nonetheless. They had to put as much distance between them. Verica clung tightly to her sensei.

"I'm sorry sensei...I shouldn't have run off..."

"It's ok..."

"and I'm sorry for what I told you...I overreacted..."

"no...you were right to be angry" Kenneth said, still jumping from branch to branch. "I've been a real jerk..."

"...no..." she sighed "I...I feel so stupid..."

"Then we both feel stupid...are you...are you ok?"

"I...yes..."

"He...he didn't..."

"no...you...you arrived just in time..."

"I wish I'd arrived sooner...I'm so sorry. I'll never let you live something like this again...I promise..."

"...thank you sensei" Verica replied with a smile. She pressed herself against him. She was so cold, but Kenneth was as much warm as she was freezing. It felt good to be pressed against him. It was like that time in the forest after Kebbaku's death. It was an amazing feeling...she wasn't sure if it was ok for her to enjoy the contact with her sensei so much...but presently she didn't care. It just felt good. That's all that mattered to her for the moment...

* * *

><p>I know...Palm push strike affects only one enemy, not an area...I cheated, sorry :P<p>

Thank you for reading as always :)


	12. 3:Luck, Fate, or Act of God

Well...it's getting hard to come up with titles for every chapter XD

I'm starting to get confused with my own story. This part was not planned...but now I started it so I have to end it... I'm still not sure how I'll connect this to what was supposed to happened...but I'll figure something ^^ I suppose I got carried away... I hope things will make sense nonetheless.

And I hope there aren't too many mistakes. I red it many times over and over...and I don't see anything. But I feel like it's not properly corrected. I'll have to wait for a correction.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12 Luck, Fate, or Act of God?<strong>

Kenneth had been jumping from branch to branch for a few minutes when he finally jumped down on the ground and started to run, Verica still on his back.

"I don't feel them following us" Verica said.

"you're right...it's strange. Maybe they just don't care. But we'll still try to go back to the abbey as soon as possible."

"You know where you're going?"

"Yes."

"How..."

"...under the abbey of St. Capitolina is the sealed shrine, where the great demon Baphomet is sealed. I can feel it's presence miles away, so it's easy for me to find the Abbey. I just follow the feeling."

"...I...I never felt it."

"When you become a champion you will. It's disturbing at first, but you get used to it."

"..."

Verica looked at her sensei with a worried look. He was panting and sweating abnormally. As much as she liked being carried by him, she decided it would be best to walk on her own...let him rest a bit.

"I'm ok sensei. You can put me down now"

"Are you sure?"

"yes, it's ok"

Kenneth stopped and put her down. Verica immediately missed his warmth...

"Let's not waste any time" He said as he took her hand and started to run again. Verica followed him.

The more they ran, the more Verica realized that something was off. Kenneth was panting like he'd been running for 3 days...she was not that heavy! And even though the air was cool, he was sweating like...he had a fever...

"Sensei, are you alright?"

"yes...why?"

"...you look...sick.."

"I'm fine..."

"Then why are you leaning on the trees as you walk?"

"...I'm just tired...that's all" He said as he continued to move forward, but he was not running anymore...

Then all of a sudden, he tripped and fell to his knee.

"Sensei!" She crouched to help him getting up, but he turned down her help.

"It's nothing...I just...tripped on something..." he was panting more and more...

He tried to get up but he fell back down immediately. Verica put her hand on his forehead. It was so hot...he had a fever, no doubt about it.

"You have to rest sensei..."

"...I...I don't feel well..." He said as he raised his hand in front of him. It shook lightly. He leaned on the tree beside him and put his hand on his head. "I feel dizzy..."

* * *

><p>The stalker regained consciousness in his tent. One of his man was beside him.<p>

"uurg...what the hell happened?"

"I don't know boss. The girl escaped with a man. He sneaked in and knocked you out. They ran into the forest."

"...probably a champion...and what are you doing here you idiot? Run after them!"

"hehe, it's ok boss" the thief said as he held out a knife to him "The man got scratched by one of our poison knife. In a few minutes, he'll be no problem anymore. Two of us are following them form afar."

"hm...maybe you're not so useless after all. Let's go get them"

* * *

><p>"Sensei? sensei! What's wrong?" Verica panicked. She tried to heal him, but it wasn't doing anything.<p>

Then she saw it. The wound on his arm. That was where the thief's knife had hit him. She looked closely at it. It looked infected and...

Poison...of course. She should have realized it sooner...

"Sensei...you...you've been poisoned...I...I can't cure poison..."

"...can't you..slow it?"

"Only priests can do that..."

Kenneth continued to shake and whined as Verica tried to think about a solution. Maybe she could run back to the abbey and get Touha...

"Sensei...how far is the abbey?"

"A...few hours..."

She wouldn't have the time to go and come back...

"...alright...what do I do" She asked herself.

"..V...verica..."

"What is it?"

"...thieves..."

"what the thieves?"

"...th..they're coming..."

Verica turned around quickly. She felt them too. They were too close...and coming too quickly!

"come one sensei, we have to move on!" She told him as she helped him getting up. He leaned on her and tried to walk the best he could. She felt him shaking and she saw how he struggled just to walk...there was no way they could make it...

"They are here..." Kenneth whispered.

A bunch of knives flew in their direction. Verica let go of Kenneth, who staggered a little and leaned on a tree, but managed to stay on his feet. Verica turned toward the knives and quickly casted pneuma around her. The knives fell on the ground in front of her, then the stalker and 3 thieves dropped down from the trees a few feet away from the two monks.

"I must say I'm impressed" The stalker said, looking at Kenneth. "You managed to sneak into my camp, avoiding all the traps, and you even knocked me out...you would do a fine rogue..."

"And you would do a fine corpse" Kenneth replied, frowning at the man. The stalker laughed at his comment.

Verica looked at the men in front of her. They were only 3 thieves...he had underestimated her, which was a good thing. But the stalker...she had no chance against him...

The moment she looked at him in the eyes, her legs started to shake. She would be scared of that man for the rest of her life...

"Is she your daugter?" The stalker asked, ignoring Verica completely.

"of course not..." Kenneth said a little confused.

"ah, good. Then are you her lover?"

"..what? no!"

"Then what is she to you, so that you would risk your life like this for her?"

"...she's my sister, my family. She's a member of my order, that is enough for me to risk my life for her!" Kenneth spitted.

"Is that so...hm, I'll never understand you monks. The skills of an assassin with the faith of a priest...I never believed it was a good mix. You could do so much more with your skills..."

"Come closer you damn punk, I'll show you what I can do with my skills!" Kenneth said angrily as he took a step forward. But Verica stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"Sensei, stop! You're all talk presently. You can barely stand..."

"Sensei?" The stalker said with surprise. "aahh, so you're her teacher! It makes sense now. I'm afraid your pupil is right though. Poison runs in your vein...you are no threat to me right now".

"Why are you running after us!" Verica asked, getting tired of being ignored.

"I'm a mad wanted criminal...I don't need reason to do anything" He said with a smile. The 3 men laughed as well.

"...this makes no sense..." she replied.

"I don't need to make sense. I decided I wanted kill your teacher, so I will. Then I'll catch you again..."

"Wait...I know who you are..." Kenneth said suddenly. "I saw a wanted poster of you in Prontera...you're the one they call the faceless shadow...aren't you?"

"...Now I really need to kill you. You know too much...I'm not going back to prison..." The stalker replied.

He started to walk in Verica's direction. She unconsciously took a step back. But Kenneth moved forward and placed himself in front of her. He was doing his best not to let the effect of the poison show...but his pain was obvious.

"Don't come closer!" He said to the stalker.

The man ignored his threat at first, then came to a stop 3 feet away from the two monks. He looked at Verica directly in the eyes and whispered to her.

"Once I killed him, I'm going to tie you up again. I'll bring you back with me, strip you from your clothes and fuck you like the fucking bitch you are!"

"You ain't gonna touch her!" Kenneth yelled.

He threw his fist at the stalker, but he disappeared before his eyes. Kenneth fell back to his knee, not able to stand anymore. The stalker reappeared behind Verica and grabbed her hands from behind. She tried to get away but it was too late...

"Men, the chains." The stalker said to the thieves.

They joined their boss and tried to tie Verica, but she defended herself with her feet. She would not let her fear get the best of her this time.

Kenneth was still on the ground, breathing with difficulty and shaking. There was no time to think...and so he did the first thing that came to his mind...

He closed his eyes and concentrated. He quickly summoned 5 spirit spheres, took a deep breath and yelled "Bent down!"

Verica managed to bend despite the stalker holding her hands. Kenneth turned around swiftly and used Ki explosion on the thieves and the stalker. They were caught off guard and all went flying a few feet away. Kenneth didn't waste time. He caught Verica, pressed her against him and used Body Relocation to get away. He used it 5 times, consuming his spirit spheres. Once he couldn't use it anymore, he ran behind a tree and leaned on it, Verica still trapped between his chest and his arms. He held on to her like she was a scared cat that could get away if he loosen his grip just a little. He stayed there, panting deeply as he started to slide down the tree to finally sit down. Verica just followed him on the ground, her head pressed against his chest, going up and down with his breathing. His heart was beating like crazy and his arms still shook from the poison.

...right... the poison...

"Sensei...are you alright?" She asked as she let go of him and took a better look at him.

"no...urg...but at least... I managed to put a good distance... between us and those thugs..." He said as he started to feel the effect of his earlier action. Verica's voice was strange and his vision was blurry. The poison was working its way to his heart...

"You must go..." He said as he closed his eyes. His own voice sounded funny to his ears.

"I'm not leaving without you sensei...can you still walk?"

"no...I'm...I'm not going to make it..."he said as he tried to keep his eyes open...but his eyelids were just so heavy... "I...I bought you time...go..."

"Stop playing the hero in shiny armor Kenneth! Come one! Get up! She said pushing him a little.

But he didn't answer her. He just looked at the ground with half-closed eyes, panting like he was running in the desert...

"Sensei!" She yelled again as she shook him.

There was still no response. She lifted his head to make him look at her. She called his name again but...he simply didn't seem to hear her anymore. Then his eyes rolled upward and his head fell back down as he fainted...

"...sensei..." She shook him again...but there was really nothing more she could do. She took his pulse...it was slow, but it was still there...

'Alright...don't panic...you must not panic! Just think...what can you do?' She told herself.

She evaluated the situation. She was in the middle of the forest, at night, with a bunch of thieves looking for her to rape her and kill her sensei...now she had to go back to the Abbey (which she didn't know where it was) with her poisoned sensei on her back without getting spotted by the thugs...

….damn...all this was her fault. If only she hadn't run off, none of this would have happened...and Kenneth wouldn't be on the verge of death...

She raised her head suddenly. She felt a presence a few meters away...the thieves were looking for them. One of them was coming in their direction...

She joined her hands and casted angelus, blessing and increase agility on herself. As she felt the power flows within her, she took Kenneth on her shoulders with her new found strength. She got up and started to run in the opposite direction form the thieves. She ran as fast as she could, without looking behind her.

Then she suddenly stopped. She felt another presence in front of her...it was coming too quickly. She changed direction again...but as she lost the presence behind her, she felt another one coming in front of her. She turned left, but the presence followed her. There was no way to avoid it...and so she stopped. She put Kenneth down near a tree. Then she turned toward the presence that was coming closer and closer. She took a battle stance...and waited. If she was lucky, it would be one of the thief...otherwise...she wouldn't stand a chance...

A man dropped down the tree in front of her...

...The stalker...

"You're starting to give me too much trouble girl..." He said.

"..." She didn't answer. She just stayed there, fist ready. She watched him carefully, not to be surprised by an attack.

The stalker took a look at Kenneth behind her.

"hm...seems like I won't have to kill him myself..." He said with a smile.

"...Try what you want. I'm not coming with you" She said, trying to make the conversation last. She tried to buy time..before she had to fight him...

"Honestly...I doubt you can fight me little girl..."

"...Maybe not...but I'll die long before going back with you tied up with chains..."

"hm...I'd rather have you alive..." He said as he took a step forward.

"One of us will die today...if it has to be me, so be it...but you're not having me alive..." She replied as she took a step back.

"eh, you monks and your pride...never afraid to die...so eager to join your God..."

Verica continued to back off until she was beside Kenneth. She took a look at him...he was still breathing...

"Or maybe you're just eager to join him...whatever it is, I hope he taught you well...you're going to need more than luck to win this fight!" He said as he took his sword and attacked her.

Verica blocked his first attack and dodged the second. She bent down and tried to kick the man and make him fall, but he jumped, avoiding her foot. He bent down and tried to trap her on the ground, but she rolled over to her left and got up immediately. She stepped back from the man and took back her battle stance. The man laughed as he got up as well.

"hehe...not bad, not bad"

"..."

He suddenly disappeared from her sight. She immediately turned around and avoided the blow he was about to give her from behind. She backed off again. He ran to her and tried to slash her. Verica bent down, then rose up and punched him on the nose. He staggered and closed his eyes a moment. She took the occasion to summon a spirit sphere. She gave him 3 fast punch in the chest, taking his breath away, then continued with raging quadruple blow, raging thrust and finally used Ki explosion to knock him down a few feet away.

The stalker stayed on the ground for a moment. Then he slowly got up, laughing.

"hahaha...alright...enough of this now...I'm going to put you on the verge of death and bring you back with me. Then I'll rape you everyday of your miserable life!" he said as he looked back at her with angry eyes.

The man swoop the ground with his feet, sending sand into Verica's eyes. She gasped as she closed her eyes and tried to remove the sand with her hands. When she opened them again, the stalker was right in front of her, sword up in the air, ready to slash through her. She instinctively put her hands in front of her to protect herself. The moment the sword was about to touch her hands, the stalker moved away. Or rather, he was pulled away...

Verica fell on her rear. The man was thrown to the ground by a hooded man that just appeared...

The stalker got up angrily, but when he looked at the man...his expression changed...

"...what...what are you doing here..." the stalker said to the hooded man.

"And you? What are YOU doing here? Working to get my money back I hope..."

'Wait...that voice...this is no man...it's a woman!' Verica thought.

"I...I don't have your money. I..I need more time!"

"I already gave you too much time Jet. I need to be paid, now."

"I...look...just give me a week and I'll pay you back..I'll...I'll pay you double what I owe you!"

"You think I'm stupid? I give you a week and you'll disappear again...and it will take me another month to track you down...The assassin guild is done doing business with you..."

"..no...no I...I assure you...you can trust me this time..."

"I never trusted you Jet. You give me no reason to start now..." The woman said as she took two sword out from under her coat.

"wait! I have a camp not far from here! Go and take whatever is there!"

"You wasted enough of my time..." She said as she moved closer to him.

"No! kill me and you'll never get your money!"

"It's too late..."

The stalker turned around and took a step to run away, but the woman jumped on him and sliced his head off his body with her swords. His head rolled on the ground...

Verica gasped. She'd never seen...someone get killed in front of her like this. The woman put her swords back in their sheathes and turned around. Verica didn't move. She looked at the woman's eyes, for it was all she could see. She had yellow eyes...almost like a snake...

"I suppose today was your lucky day young girl.." The woman said before turning back to leave.

'wait...she said the assassin guild...she's an assassin...which means...'

"Wait!" Verica yelled at the woman. The assassin stopped, but didn't turn around. "You...you're an assassin...aren't you?"

"...yes"

"...you know how to cure poison, don't you?"

"yes" the woman replied as she turned back toward the young monk.

"...please help me" Verica said as she bowed, her head almost touching the ground "My sensei was poisoned...I can't heal him and he's about to die! Please cure him!"

"...why would I do that?"

Verica looked back at the woman. She removed her acolyte cross from her neck and held it out to the hooded assassin.

"I can pay you. This...this is not much, but this is all I have!"

The woman walked up to Verica. She took the cross from her hand and looked at it, intrigued.

"This is an holy cross given to young acolyte when they pass their exams. It's made of real silver...surely this is worth a few seconds of your time...please...help him." She said as she bowed again.

The woman looked at Kenneth for a moment then put the cross in a small bag at her waist.

Without a word, she approached Kenneth. She crouched in front of him and took his chin between her fingers to raise his head. She opened his eyes one by one and examined him. Finally she put her hand on his forehead. A white light glowed around it for a moment. When she was finished, she simply got up and walked away.

"Heal him and he'll live." She said.

"Thank you lady...he owe you his life...and I owe you mine" She replied, bowing again.

"I hope for your sake that you will never have to repay me" The assassin said as she disappeared into the forest.

Verica quickly turned toward Kenneth and started to heal him. This must had been the work of God! If it wasn't for that lady, she would be tied up again by now...and Kenneth would be dead...

Suddenly, Kenneth's head jerked up as he opened his eyes wide and took a sharp breath like he'd just gotten out of the water in desperate need for air. He then closed them again and leaned his head back on the tree. He put his hand on his chest and cough loudly as he tried to breath correctly.

"Kenneth!" Verica jumped on Kenneth and hugged him tightly as a few tears streamed down her face.

"...urg...am..am I dead?" He whispered. Verica thought he was kidding...but he sounded serious.

"...no...you're alive sensei..." She said with a smile, her head still on his chest.

"...but...the poison..." He looked confused, like he'd just woken up from a coma...then he saw the dead stalker on the ground "...am I...hallucinating? The poison is making me see strange things..."

"you're not hallucinating either. The stalker owed money to the assassin guild. One of their member came to kill him...cured you too..."

"...none of this makes sense...my head feels like it's going to explode..."

"It's ok...just relax.." Verica said as she raised her head to look at him.

She put her hands on each side of his head and casted heal. A green light glowed around his head. Kenneth sighed as he relaxed and let himself be smoothed by Verica's spell. His headache disappeared almost immediately. He opened his eyes and was about to tell her she could stop...but he found himself liking it too much to ask her to stop...

Her eyes were closed in concentration. She seemed well...not shaken by fear like when he had found her in the camp...he hoped he would never see her like that again.

Finally she opened her eyes and stopped healing him. She smiled widely to her sensei.

"Better?"

"yes...thank you...I can't believe what happened! I don't know if you were lucky or if it was fate...or if God decided it was not our day to die...whatever it was, it's hard to believe we made it out alive..."

Kenneth put his hand on the tree behind him and tried to get up, but the moment he tried to put his weight on his legs, they shook and made him fall back to his knee. He moaned a little as he sat back on the ground. He wouldn't go far in that condition...

"Seems like I'll have to stay here for a while...the Abbey is in this direction." He looked up at the sky and pointed a star "There, just follow that star. You'll feel the other monk's presence eventually..."

"I'm not leaving you here in the middle of the forest! You can barely move! If another beast attacks or if one of the thief come back, you won't be able to defend yourself! I'm staying with you. We'll leave together in the morning..."

"But..."

"I don't want to hear your false reasoning and stupid excuses sensei. I almost lost you, I'm not going to put you in danger again!" She said raising her voice.

"...I don't want you to be in danger because of me either. You've already been through so much today...you should go back to the abbey and rest. I'll be fine..." He said with all the calm in the world...

"Stop it!" She yelled, fist clenched. "You're in no position to decide anything! I'm staying with you, it's not negotiable!"

"Verica..."

"Sensei..." She bowed her head and looked at him with bubbly eyes...those damn shining eyes. Even after 5 years, he still couldn't resist that stare...

"Alright...if you want to sleep in the dirt so much, suit yourself... "He said with a smile as he bowed his head in surrender. Truth is, he was happy not to stay alone...

But his smile changed into a surprised expression as Verica suddenly jumped on him and warped her arm around his neck, her chest pressed against his.

"I don't care if I sleep int he dirt...I'm just happy you're alive..."

Kenneth smiled as he summoned all his strength to warped his arm around her as well. He took a deep breath...her hair smelled like freesia. It reminded him of his dream, but it was a comforting scent nonetheless. She always smelled like that and he hoped she would always. He smelled her hair again and again...then he realized what he was doing and forced himself to stopped. He was tired...his brain was making him do strange things...

They stayed like this for the rest of the night, Kenneth leaning his back on the tree and Verica between his legs leaning on his chest. He could feel her breathing in his arm. Kenneth felt like a mother, holding a scared child in her arm. Verica just felt happy...happy that he was alive and happy to have his warmth and presence around her.

She fell asleep there and so Kenneth didn't bother to wake her up. He just held on to her and fell asleep himself.

* * *

><p>I hope I'm still interesting you with my story. I know this is kind of a filler because nothing happens that is connected to the main story (well, except one little detail :P but it's not really important I guess)...but I thought it was interesting nonetheless. Thank you very much for reading. I really hope you'll continue to read...because I believe I got some pretty good stuff in reserve for you :) At least I hope it's as good as I think... please be patient :)<p> 


	13. 3:Denial

This took me forever to write. I'm sorry. I'm moving in a new apartment soon and I've been so busy with it...and this chapter was REALLY hard to write.

Not much action in this chapter. It's more about feelings, that's why it was so hard to write. It's hard to describe feelings. Especially blooming love :P I hope you'll like it.

And thank you lightchimera :) You made me learn a lot :)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13 Denial<strong>

Verica slowly opened her eyes when the sun started to rise and the birds started to sing. She didn't sleep much that night, but it was better than nothing. No thieves had bothered them either...They were probably lost without their leader.

She was still pressed against Kenneth's chest, his arms wrapped around her. She smiled as she enjoyed his warmth. She tried to raise herself up, but Kenneth's grip was too strong. He just wouldn't let go...

She leaned her head back on him as she laughed. Even when he was asleep, he was still overprotective of her.

"It's ok sensei, you can let go of me now. I'm not going to run away" She said to him, even if she knew he was asleep.

She looked at his face for a moment. He was breathing deeply and frowning. When he was awake, he always looked at peace with a warm and compassionate smile. She never realized how much of an opposite it was while he slept.

Then a soft moan escaped his lips as his features changed. He frowned more intensely and she could see his eyes moving from right to left under his eyelids. His arms tightened around her and she started to find it hard to breathe. He bowed his head as he clenched his teeth.

"Sensei...wake up!" Verica said, trying to breathe properly as she looked up at him.

But he kept holding on to her as if his life depended on it. He started panting and she felt his breath on her mouth every time he expired. It tickled her and goosebumps rose on her arms. He looked desperate, and in pain. She didn't like it. It scared her to see him like this. She tried to get away from his grip again but it was useless. She pushed on his chest with her hands as she tried to wake him.

"Sensei! Wake up! Please!"

But he continued to hold her, panting. Then suddenly, He raised one of his hands and grabbed the back of Verica's head.

"I'm not leaving..." He whispered.

"Sensei?" She looked at him confused. Was he talking in his sleep?

"Please...stop crying." He whispered again. A tear fell from his eye as his grip tightened again.

"...Sensei...I-I can't..breathe."

But he kept holding on to her...

"KENNETH!"

Kenneth's eyes snapped open wide as his head flew backward and hit the tree behind him. He whined as he rubbed the back of his head, releasing Verica from his grip. She moved away a little as she started to breathe correctly again. Kenneth looked at Verica with a confused look.

"What's the fuss about?!"

"You almost choked me!" Verica said angrily.

Kenneth said nothing and he looked at her for a moment as he remembered his dream. That same, disturbing dream. Again. "I'm sorry..." He said as he looked at the ground.

"I don't know what you dreamt about, but from how you acted it looked nasty."

"...I...spoke?" Kenneth asked, surprised, as he looked back at her.

"Yeah..."

"I didn't know I talked in my sleep..."

"You didn't say much. You just said that you were not leaving. Then you said 'please, stop crying' as you kept squeezing me like a pillow..."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. It's strange you heard me. In my dream, I try to talk, but I can't hear myself."

"...wait. Was it THAT dream?" Verica asked as realization dawned on her.

"Yes"

"...oh...I'm sorry..."

"It's ok."

"Do you often have that dream?"

"Every night, for the past 5 years" Kenneth replied as he rubbed his forehead with his fingers.

"You have nightmares every night?! That's just... horrible!"

"You get used to it." he whispered. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed heavily.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes...it's just...my head hurts like hell..."

"It's probably the poison..."

"No. My head always hurts when I wake up..."

Verica looked at her sensei with compassion for a moment. Kenneth was so awesome. She yelled at him and slapped him in the face. Yet he still came to rescue her and almost died for her, on top of all the troubles he already had. She didn't deserve him.

"You know, I'm really sorry for not telling you about my dream." Kenneth said.

"It's ok sensei. I should be the one to apologize. I never should have run off into the forest. It was stupid and foolish. I overreacted. You had every right not to tell me...and...if I'd been in your position I would probably have done the same. I have no right to judge you. I put you in danger. Hell you almost got killed because of me! I'm sorry for everything."

"We both have things to apologize for. Let's not dwell on them. But I assure you, I'm not going to hide things from you anymore. I promise." He said with a smile. "I'm sorry if you felt like you were being treated like a child."

"It's ok..."

"It's just that, well, to me you're still the 16 year old girl I met in Prontera. I'm sorry, I just can't help it." He said with a laugh.

"...yeah...I know..." Verica said, a little disappointed. She had to get used to it...Kenneth would never see her like the woman she is. But really, it shouldn't matter that much. Though the truth was, she really did care...

"...I shouldn't have yelled at you" Kenneth continued,

"You yelled at me because I yelled at you..."

"...I still shouldn't have. You were right to be angry at me. It's true that without my dream, I never would have brought you to St. Capitolina..."

Verica looked sadly at the ground, not saying a word.

"...and yes, I just wanted to be your teacher so I could stay with you and know why I saw you in my dream...but..."

He took her chin between his fingers and made her look at him.

"...It's not the case anymore." He said with a warm smile. The same smile he had when they were at the gate of Prontera. The same smile he had after Kebbaku's death in the forest, by the lake. The way he'd looked at her back then... it was heart-melting.

"Thank you. I'm sorry sensei..."

"You apologize too much Verica. It's ok, let's forget it happened."

"Alright" Verica replied with a smile.

"Although..." he scratched the back of his head as he searched his words "There is something else I need to apologize for. You...almost got raped last night..."

"...but I didn't" Verica said as she looked away.

"I should have come sooner...I-I would have never forgiven myself if..." he sighed as he looked at the ground ashamed. "I can't even begin to imagine what you've been through..."

"You arrived in time, sensei..." Verica said, trying to close the subject. She didn't want to think about that man again. The only image of him she wanted to keep in her mind was of that assassin lady cutting off his head with her swords. She'd been so lucky. Without her, she would be tied up in chains and Kenneth would be dead.

"No. I didn't. He'd already touched you too much. The image of him being all over you like this is never going to leave my brain...and I never want to see this ever again..."

Verica remained silent. She didn't know what to say. Of course it hadn't been pleasant, but it could have been worse. "Let's just...forget it happened" she said with a smile.

"...you don't want to talk about it?"

"No..."

"...fair enough." Kenneth said with a small smile. "I suppose I can understand why...but, if you need to talk, .I'm here..."

"Thank you sensei...you're awesome." Verica said with a bright smile.

"Haha, well...thanks, I guess" Kenneth replied shyly, his cheeks reddening slightly. Just enough to embarrass him and make Verica giggle. He rubbed the nape of his neck with his hand as he looked away from Verica. "Damn my head hurts so much"

"I can help." Verica offered.

"It's ok. I may not be as good of a healer as you, but I think I can handle that." Kenneth said as he took his head between his hands. He didn't even know that heal could be used to relieve headaches before she did it yesterday. He should have listened more carefully during classes at the church.

He started to heal himself. Verica watched him, amused. After a while, Kenneth sighed and stopped. It was not working at all. He looked up at Verica with a sheepish look.

"You were probably a very poor excuse for an acolyte, sensei." She said as she laughed.

"What am I doing wrong then?"

"When you use a spell like heal, you have to concentrate to use it. You focus all your attention on doing it. Of course, if your brain is busy thinking about the spell, it can't be applied at the same time. When you think too much, your head hurts. See?"

"I'm not sure I catch your drift." Kenneth replied, a little bit lost.

"Your mind focuses to cast the spell. It heals you, but your head hurts even more because of the effort. So you heal it more, and it hurts more. It's a loop. It's not going to do anything." She said, very proud of herself as she giggled.

"Well, now I really feel stupid." Kenneth said as he laughed.

"It's good to see you're human and that you don't know everything, Mister 'I'm-a-genius-I-became-champion-at-27'"

"Very funny" He replied as he looked at the ground again. "So...could you, you know, do it again? I mean, I'm not going to make a habit of asking you to heal my headache but...it's just, well, it really feels good when you do it..."

Verica gave a perplexed look to her sensei.

"W-what I mean is - well, it helped! So..."

"I'd be happy to help." Verica replied happily as she approached him and placed her hands on each side of his head.

"Thank you" Kenneth said as he sighed.

She started to heal him, soothing his headache away. His expression softened quickly. Verica was a much better healer than he was, healing the inside of his head like that. He really loved it. It was like instant meditation. It was an incredible feeling of peace and comfort. No worries, no pain...just peace...

After a few seconds, Verica stopped and started to pull her hands back, but Kenneth caught both of her wrists and stopped her.

"Please don't stop..." He whispered, eyes on her mouth but staring into space, as he brought back her hands to his head.

Verica looked at him with surprise for a moment...then she smiled as she started to heal him again. Kenneth left his hands on hers as he took deep breath and relaxed. He looked so calm...she'd never seen him like this before. She loved the fact that it was her who made him feel like this...

His thumbs started to stroke the back of her hands slowly, making goosebumps rise on her arms. He was abandoning himself to the feeling of peace she gave him. He knew it was somewhat artificial. It was not a real meditation, but it just felt too good to stop. He just surrendered completely to her and her spell.

As Verica watched him relaxing between her hands, she relaxed herself too. The light touch of his thumbs on her hands was a simple gesture, yet it was all she could concentrate on. It felt like when he helped her meditate when she was younger. The touch of his hands on hers and the transfer of spiritual energy between them always...thrilled her...in a way. It was the same great feeling now, except that she was the one giving her energy this time. But no matter who gave what, it still felt good.

After a few minutes, Kenneth looked up, gazing directly into Verica's eyes. She returned his gaze shyly. Their faces were so close...a few inches and their nose would touch. A shiver ran down Verica's spine all of a sudden. It was strange to be so close to him. She was used to touch him in combat and during meditation. Even a few minutes ago she was pressed against his chest, much closer than she was now, but this was different. She felt close to him physically, but also emotionally in a way. It was hard to explain. The way he surrendered himself to her like this, it was...kind of...exciting. She felt warm at the bottom of her stomach and her heart pounded in her chest as she felt it resonate in her entire body. The way he looked at her, his hooded gaze made her head spin and her heart race.

Kenneth closed his eyes again and sighed, oblivious to his student's thoughts. He knew this was not right. He remembered the priests at the church saying that healing should only be used for important injuries. He didn't know why, but he knew better than to question knowledge about skills he could barely use. His common sense told him to make her stop but...it felt really good. He hadn't felt like this in a long time. And to have Verica's spiritual energy run through his head was so soothing. It felt like his brain was wrapped in velvet. This would have to stop eventually however. But not now. Just a little longer. Then they would go back to the abbey and he wouldn't abuse her healing skills again like this.

When Verica saw him close his eyes, she closed her own as well and held her breath. She unconsciously licked her lips in anticipation...although she wasn't really sure why. She didn't know what she was expecting but...it excited her so much. She was confused by these strange and mixed feelings rising inside her, but at the same time she longed to feel more. She felt this incomprehensible need to be close to him...to feel his warmth around her...just to feel him, no matter how. It felt so strange. She'd never felt like this before...not as much. She'd always liked to feel his presence...this static under her skin, it was exhilarating. Presently she felt it more than she ever did, but it was like too much was not enough. It was driving her mad. Turning her brain into stew, unable to put her thoughts together. The warm feeling in the pit of her stomach spread and her hands shook lightly as her body tensed. She moved on instinct, almost unaware of her own actions. She moved her head forward, moving her lips closer to his, oh so very slowly, unsure of what she was doing. A soft sigh escaped her lips when her nose brushed lightly against his...

Kenneth's eyes went wide all of a sudden as he removed his head from Verica's hands. He turned his head to the left as he looked into the distance between the trees. Verica opened her eyes as well, surprised, as she withdrew her hands. She tried to regain some composure and make the flush of her cheeks go away. She looked up at her sensei who had just got up, completely unaware of how this little healing session had turned into completely something else for his young student.

"...What is it sensei?" she asked, trying to sound normal.

"...Someone's coming..." he said, concentrating to feel the presence "...it's Mathias"

Kenneth started to walk into the forest. Verica got up and quickly followed behind him, her cheeks still blushing. She felt the remnant of the warmth in her stomach, the hair on the nape of her neck still rising from excitement. She was completely lost in her thoughts as she tried to follow Kenneth between the trees. What had just happened? What was she thinking?! If it wasn't for Mathias coming this way, she would have...

Why did she do that? It didn't make any sense! She really didn't think about what she was doing, she just did it. It felt so natural...but she shouldn't have! The idea shouldn't even have crossed her mind! How could she...what was wrong with her?

"We were away for quite some time so he probably got worried. We're getting closer" Kenneth said as he continued to walk.

"Yeah..."

Verica looked at the back of his head. He didn't seem to notice what happened, fortunately. How awkward that would have been. It had been...a moment of confusion, a slip...and it wouldn't happen again. She was just tired and wasn't thinking straight. She just had to forget any of this happened.

"There he is..."

They both heard a man swearing not far from them. Finally they saw him and he saw them too. He glared at Kenneth as he gave a shout.

"You fucking air-head brat!" Mathias said as he walked up to his ex-student.

"Well, hello to you too Mathias" Kenneth replied, amused. He just loved to see him angry like this. Especially when it was because of him and for unimportant reasons.

Mathias stopped just in front of Kenneth and pushed on his shoulder angrily. "Where the hell were you?!"

"In the forest, obviously" Kenneth replied with a smile. Verica tried her best not to laugh.

"You freaking little smart-ass, I swear, sometimes I have half a mind to bury you 6 feet under and leave you to rot! That way I wouldn't have to worry about you anymore!"

"Calm down Mathias. I'm sorry. I found Verica but we encountered some problems."

"Problems?"

"It's...a long story." Kenneth replied as he looked sideways to Verica who didn't return his gaze. "Let's just say that everything is back to normal now."

"Yes...normal..." Verica whispered softly. "I hope so..."

"Urg, from the look on your face, I'm guessing I won't get any more information about it." Mathias replied as he looked at Verica. "I'm sorry girl. I should have stopped you from running away. I'm an idiot."

"I can't blame my foolishness on you, Mathias. I was stupid. I...I got what I deserved" She said as she looked at the ground, ashamed.

"Are you still angry?"

"No...I'm not..."

"Good...I don't like to see your pretty little face with a frown on it." He said with a smile with no more anger in his voice.

"Well, since everything is ok now, let's go back to the Abbey." Kenneth said.

"Is everything really ok?" Mathias asked, still looking at Verica.

"...Yes...why?"

"...Nothing...you just...seem lost" Mathias replied as he turned around and started to walk away.

Kenneth looked at Verica with a look that said "If something is wrong you should tell me" but Verica simply ignored him and followed Mathias. She didn't dare look at him now...his simple gaze on her would be enough to make her lose it right now. She had to calm herself first.

The three of them resumed their walk toward the Abbey. After a few minutes of silent travel, Mathias finally spoke.

"So, where is your acolyte cross Verica?"

Verica put her hand on her neck as Kenneth turned around to look at her in confusion.

"Indeed. Where is it?" Kenneth asked.

"It's...I don't know. I probably lost it somewhere in the forest. The chain was, hmm, getting weak..." she lied.

"That's a shame really..." Mathias said as Kenneth looked at her suspiciously. She was hiding something, but he didn't push the matter further.

"It's just jewellery..." Verica replied.

"..You're right. It's good not to give too much importance to earthly possessions. We are monks after all."

"Says the man who would kill you if you ever touched his rum without permission..." Kenneth whispered.

"I heard you! Damn kid! I remember a time when you used to look up to me."

"That was because you were taller than me."

"Why you..."

Verica laughed as she listened to them and slowly forgot about what happened earlier. Those two were so funny together. She also realized that Mathias still called Kenneth "boy" and "brat" even though Kenneth was 32 years old. Seems like teachers always see their students as kids...

"By the way, I think you owe me an explanation, sensei" Kenneth said as he regained his serious demeanour.

"About what? I do a lot of things that require explanations. You'll have to be more specific."

"You sent me to Gonryun so I could speak with the Taoist Hermit, didn't you?"

Verica looked up at her sensei confused. What the hell was he talking about?

"...Did he talk to you?" Mathias asked as he became very serious as well.

"Yes"

"What did he tell you?"

"Many things. But more importantly, he told me about a prophecy the demons have...about a human who would kill one of the three great demons..."

"He told you the prophecy? What does it say?! This is very important boy. You do realize this?"

"Yeah yeah..." He said as he looked at the ground.

"What are you two talking about?" Verica asked, tired of being ignored. They were hiding things from her again.

"You remember when Moohae was possessed by a demon and tried to kill Kenneth?" Mathias said.

"Yes..." Verica replied

"Maybe we shouldn't tell her about -"

"This is exactly why she ran off and you got into trouble!" Mathias answered to Kenneth's interruption "She's an adult and a good monk! And I'm pretty sure she has a part to play in all this. She has to know!"

"...You're right..." He looked at Verica with an apologetic smile "I'm treating you like a child again...I'm sorry"

"Just tell me what's going on." Verica replied, getting worried and slightly irritated.

"Demons tried to kill Kenneth because, according to a prophecy they have, one of the three great demons will rise from its slumber in this era. But a man will fight against it and kill it, for good."

"They think this man is Kenneth?"

"Yes"

"Why? How do they know that?"

"The Taoist Hermit didn't say. He just said that he knew it was me..." Kenneth said. "But who knows. Maybe he's wrong."

"There is a demonic book I borrowed from Thomas. I couldn't tell what it said, but there were pictures. Pictures of you Kenneth." Mathias said.

"What?!"

"At least, it really looked like you..."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner about this?" Kenneth asked, trying to remain calm despite his annoyance.

"I wanted you to speak with the Hermit first." He turned toward Verica "And I'm not sure, but there seemed to have a picture of you too, Verica..."

"Me?"

"I'm not sure. There is a woman with Kenneth on the picture. She looked... a little bit like you. But considering Kenneth's dream, I'm pretty sure it's you and I'm sure you are concerned by this prophecy."

"She is." Kenneth said. "The Hermit said she was, for what it's worth."

"...What did he tell you exactly, boy?"

"He told me the prophecy. He told me there is a woman that would take my heart to replace hers."

"What? Eewww..." Verica said, disgusted.

"..On the image, the girl's arm is through your chest and your heart is in her hand...and in your dream she eats it. It makes sense..."

"You think it makes sense?! Hell! It doesn't mean anything!" Kenneth said exasperated.

"No but there's a link, it's better than nothing. What else does the prophecy say?"

"Pff...I don't know...It says that the demon would destroy everything when he awakens. It says something about...an army of justice and a missing soldier that would make them lose. But there would be a second chance if I made the right choice before the battle...something like that..."

"Concentrate boy! This is important!"

"I know, I know." Kenneth replied as he sighed deeply before carrying on. "It said that I would be impossible to defeat, but easily influenced. If I made the right choices, then...love would make sure that the demon is defeated, but at a high price, and it would ensure a great victory against evil. That's...pretty much it..."

"This is crazy..." Verica whispered. It was a lot to absorb at once.

"Alright...let's try to understand. There are many symbols in this. There's the army of justice, the missing soldier, the love, the high price...and the have to understand what they represent."

"You're wasting your time, Sensei. This is not meant to be understood." Kenneth said, getting more and more exasperated.

"The army of justice...maybe it's the knights. The army of the King. It's the greatest army of Rune Midgard." Verica said.

"Yes, very good girl" Mathias said "That would make sense."

"Ah please!" Kenneth said "It could be anything! It might not even be a real army!"

"Let her continue, Kenneth. Every lead is a good one!" Mathias replied. Then he turned back towards Verica "What about the missing soldier? What do you think?"

"Well, considering that the knights are under the King's command, it probably has something to do with him. Maybe the Royal Guard?" Verica continued.

"How so?" Mathias asked as Kenneth looked at Verica, exasperated. He didn't particularly want to involve her so much in all this.

"The Royal Guard was established by King Schmidtz, long ago. The King had an army of knights, but he felt it was not enough. Historical books tell us that 'The King was ahead of his time and knew that he had to prepare a special force to deal with the ever present threat of attacks from his enemies and national chaos. He organized an elite unit under his direct command.' That is the official story people learn at school, but the truth is that it was just an act of jealousy. The King was paranoid and his greatest fear was the pope and his army of crusaders and paladins. It was an army equal to his in power and it scared him to no end. He managed to recruit paladins from the pope's army to form his Royal Guard. They were basically elite soldiers, but it was also a great source of pride for the King. This guy was crazy if you ask me" Verica added as an afterthought.

"Why did paladins turn their back on the pope?" Mathias asked as Kenneth watched Verica in awe. How the hell did she know all that?!

"There are rumours that those guards are still under the pope authority in secret." Verica replied.

"...Like double agents? Spies?"

"In a certain way. But those are only rumours..."

"And what does it have to do with anything?" Mathias asked.

"I don't know. I'm just tossing ideas around. If one of the three great demons emerges, the King would send his knights to fight it, but he would also send his Royal Guard, I suppose. What if the Royal Guard wouldn't go?" Verica replied.

"That would imply that the pope asked them not to go" Mathias said "Why would the pope do that?!"

"I don't know. I'm just saying what comes to my mind."

"Hmm, there is always been a rivalry between the Palace of Prontera and the Sanctuary of Rachel over military power." Mathias said "And there was also a picture of the pope in the book. If what you say about the Royal Guard is true..."

"Are you listening to yourselves?!" Kenneth interrupted, exasperated. "You're speculating! You base your theories on rumours and demonic prophecies! None of what you're saying consists of facts!"

"I'm just trying to make sense of all this." Verica said shyly.

"What are you suggesting then, Kenneth?!" Mathias asked. "That we forget the prophecies and do nothing while we wait for the demon to wake?!"

"Yes, maybe that's what we should do!" Kenneth replied angrily as he shook his head. He was so tired of all this shit. He wanted to find somewhere quiet and stop thinking about it. His dream, the prophecies, it was all starting to get on his nerves. Trying to understand all of it was just so maddening and frustrating.

"There is nothing to understand...we will do what we have always done: fight! There is nothing more to do! We'll train, we'll become stronger and when the time comes, we'll pray and ask God to give us the strength to slay his enemies."

"God will not win this battle in our place, boy!" Mathias said as he stopped walking to look at Kenneth.

"Kss, I've had enough of your blasphemy, old man! You can speculate all you want about the prophecies!" Kenneth said, turning around to face his sensei. "But you have no way to know what it really means! You want to prepare a strategy based on it, have fun, but when the battle begins and if none of your theories are true, you'll have wasted your time and people might die because of you!"

"You were blessed with a vision! You've spoken to a powerful deity who gifted you with words of wisdom about your future! An incredible chance many would like to have! You want to ignore it?! What kind of idiot are you?!"

"An idiot who believes in God more than in impious deities and demonic books!" Kenneth yelled at his sensei's face.

"When will you understand that you can't solve all your problems just by praying to God?!" Mathias yelled back. "God will not send an army of angels on Midgard to save humanity's ass! Humanity always had to fend for himself! We have a chance to banish evil from this land. Maybe this chance came from God, maybe not, who cares?! Get your fucking head out of God's ass for a minute and you might see what an incredible opportunity we have! Damn it boy, didn't you learn anything from me!"

"Learn? From you?!" Kenneth replied as he laughed bitterly "I learned how to go against every single one of the commandments! Drink until I can't see straight or fuck the shit out of gypsies in shabby inns! Name it; you've made me do it all! That's what I learned from you! I don't understand how you can call yourself a monk after all you have done in your life! You may be powerful, but you're a disgrace to every monk who lives as God dictates!"

"You sound so much like Moohae! What do you know about what God dictates?! Huh?! Have you met him?!"

"Damn it you can't spend two minutes without insulting God and the Pope!"

"The Pope?! Fuck the Pope! That lazy ass never did anything for human kind! He just sits in his tower and drinks tea all day long! He can suck my-"

"ENOUGH!"

Mathias and Kenneth both turned toward Verica who looked at them with exasperation.

"That's enough. More than enough." She repeated more quietly. "You are going nowhere by quarrelling like this, throwing insults, like kindergarten kids with grown-up words!"

Mathias looked at the ground as he took a deep breath and calmed himself. "You're right...you make me ashamed of myself. I'm sorry..."

Kenneth didn't say anything at first. He just turned around and resumed his walk toward the abbey. "Whatever. Let's just go back. I'm tired of this forest."

Mathias looked at him walking away. Verica slowly followed behind him as she gave a sorry look to Mathias. He started to walk slowly as he sighed and slapped himself mentally. He could be such a dick sometimes, but at least he was able to realize it, unlike a certain student of his...

Verica walked up to Kenneth and put her hand on his arm delicately. He didn't react and simply continued to walk.

"What's wrong sensei?" Verica whispered.

"Nothing is wrong." He said quickly, without looking at her.

"I don't like seeing you like this. If I did something wrong, say it..."

"Verica..." Kenneth whispered as he sighed and slowed down. He closed his eyes a moment, then he looked at her with a smile. But she knew better than to believe in his fake smiles. "I'm sorry. I'm just very tired. I'm not in the mood for Mathias' delirium, that's all. And you shouldn't listen either. He's probably just drunk again."

"But...how can you not believe in the prophecy? What about your dream?"

"I...I don't know what to believe in anymore, honestly." He continued, his words barely above a whisper.

"I think you just don't want to believe it. Maybe you don't want it to be true." Verica said.

Kenneth glared at her as he narrowed his eyes. "What are you insinuating? That I'm scared?"

"Well...I..."

"I've never been scared of anything in my life!" he said louder, pointing his finger at himself. "I ain't gonna start now! I'm not scared of Demons! Demons are scared of me!"

"Maybe it's not the demons that scare you. Maybe it's just the fact of having people's lives depending on you...and you're scared you'll let them down."

"Maybe maybe maybe..." He looked away from his student and started to walk faster. "Maybe the moon is made of cheese and maybe trees are talking with each other while we're not there! Who knows?! Maybe the prophecy is true, maybe my dream means something, but maybe not! We can't be sure! But there's one thing I'm sure though. Demons can be defeated and I'm pretty damn good at kicking demon's ass. That is a certainty! That's all I need to know and that's all we'll have to do when the time comes!"

"Yes...I'm sorry sensei..." Verica replied softly as she stopped walking. She watched him walking away as Mathias passed beside her.

"It's no use, girl. You should know better than to look a bull in the eyes while wearing red" Mathias said as he put his hand on her back and pushed a little to make her move forward.

"...I don't like seeing him like this." Verica said as she resumed her walk.

"It's my fault. I'm sorry. I have a way of getting on his nerves. But don't worry, he'll come to his senses."

"Yeah..." Verica replied sadly. This was so messed up. She wished she could go back in time. Go back to that moment earlier with Kenneth. She wished she could feel that incredible feeling of peace and comfort she felt then...and that static under her skin...

She looked at Kenneth once more and, for a brief moment, she felt it again...this warmth in the pit of her stomach that rose up to her heart and almost made her trip on her own feet. It was so troubling, yet thrilling at the same time. How she longed to be close to him again...to fall asleep on his chest lulled by the beating of his heart...

'What's wrong with you?!' She told herself 'Get a hold of yourself! This is your teacher you're thinking about! Your brother, your family...this is really inappropriate! It's bad, and you should feel bad!'

But no matter how many times she repeated it in her head, the feeling of guilt was not strong enough to overcome this strange feeling of need and excitement.

….What was wrong with her?

* * *

><p>haha, I'm so proud of my title XD it fits with Verica who doesn't want to admit that she feels something for her teacher (in case you didn't catch on) and with Kenneth who's tired of the prophecy and simply doesn't want to see what it means. yeah...I make sense in my head. I hope in yours too.<p>

Thank you for reading :)


	14. 3:Acceptance

This took forever. This is starting to get hard to write. But I'll do my best to update it as fast as I can while trying to keep some kind of quality and coherence :P

I must warn you, this chapter is awfully long. I was supposed to cut it in half and do two chapters with it. But after reflection, I decided to post it as one. I wrote it as one chapter so I think it makes more sense to keep it that way. So try to have a lot of spare time before you start reading it :P Beside, the title fits so well that I couldn't bring myself to find another title for the second part XD

I hope you don't mind. But your opinion is welcome. If you think I should split it, tell me. Lightchimera already told me I should. Sorry, I didn't :P Such a bad girl I am. But as I said I had my reasons. But if everyone says "you should split it" then I'll go with the majority I guess lol.

A lot of blah blah in this. No action, I'm sorry :P but it was necessary.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14 Acceptance<strong>

Verica, Mathias and Kenneth finally arrived at the Abbey, after an hour of travel that seemed much longer, due to the awkward silence between them. Kenneth didn't waste time and immediately left the other two. Mathias and Verica watched him walking away.

"I can be such an idiot sometimes." Mathias said.

"Maybe, but so can Kenneth." Verica replied.

"Hm, I guess you have a point. I don't understand him though. He was so eager to understand what his dream meant and now he sounds like he doesn't care anymore."

"No. I think he just needs some time to take it in."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the prophecy basically said that he is the chosen one. I mean, it must be hard to accept. It's a lot of responsibility."

Mathias looked at her for a moment, then bowed his head and stared at the ground as he sighed.

"You're right. I didn't think about it. I'm such an idiot. I was so excited about the prophecy that I didn't take the time to ask him what he thought or how he felt about it."

"It's a lot to absorb. I'm sure he just needs some time." Verica said with a smile.

"Yes..." Mathias said as he returned her smile. "For all my elder wisdom, sometimes I just can't see things that are too close to me. But what about you? This prophecy concerns you too. How do you feel?"

"I don't know. I think it's important to understand it the best we can. It's an incredible opportunity!"

"Exactly!"

"But it's not the same pressure. I mean, the prophecy said that Kenneth would have choices to make. If he doesn't make the right ones, there will be consequences. Kenneth is an incredible man and he knows what he's doing, but he's a fighter. I don't think he's comfortable with the idea of having the world's destiny on his shoulder, depending on his capacity to make choices."

"Ah, yes, you know your teacher very well. It's true that Kenneth prefers using his fist. He leaves the thinking to God. But he shouldn't worry so much about it. I have faith in him. He always does what is right, no matter what."

"Maybe you should tell him that. I think he needs it." Verica told him with a warm smile.

"Yes, maybe. I'll let him calm down a little though. I don't want his fist in my face. I know myself. I'll say something to offend him again and it will end in a bloodbath!" He said with a small, nervous laugh. "But we still need to understand the prophecy. Do you want to help?"

"Of course."

"Alright then. Come with me, I'll show you the book."

Verica followed him slowly. She looked back at the path Kenneth took. She wanted to go see him so badly right now. She wanted to know how he felt and what he thought.

However, as Mathias said, there was no point in going now. It would only results in more insults and anger.

But she didn't want him to be angry anymore. She wanted to have her kind, compassionate and caring sensei back. Her Kenneth.

'My Kenneth? Since when was he mine?' She asked herself.

She pushed away her thoughts. They were unhealthy...

"Are you coming girl?" Mathias yelled. She'd stopped mid-way.

"Y-yes! I'm sorry Mathias." She replied as she started walking again. She concentrated on every little detail that crossed her path. That way, she wouldn't think about...

'Stop. Don't think about it.' She repeated herself.

* * *

><p>Kenneth walked through the abbey, not really looking where he was going. He didn't like how he reacted in the forest, but he couldn't help it. Mathias had a way of getting on his nerves. It generally took a lot to get him worked up, but recently his boiling point was as low as it has ever been. He hated to be like this, but it was out of his control.<p>

His feet led him to the southern cliff. It was a bit disturbing how he always felt the need to go there. Maybe it was the incredible view, he didn't really know.

He sat on a large stone, part of the ruins of an ancient building that was there long ago. No one alive now could remember what it was though.

He stayed there and looked at the horizon. He leaned his elbows on his knees and took his head between his hands. His head still hurt like hell and the more he thought the more it hurt. The words of the great Taoist Hermit were looping in his head. "Whether you like it or not, the fate of the world depends on you." That was such an easy thing to say, yet so hard to accept. How can one man carry so much weight on his shoulders?

When he came back from Gonryun, he wanted to speak with Mathias about it. This old man might be a fool, but sometimes he just knew what to say to make you understand things in a different way. But not this time. Mathias was just so concentrated on the prophecy, he couldn't see anything else. He couldn't see the whole picture and all its implications.

He didn't understand what it meant for him.

Of all the champions of St. Capitolina, he had to have the drunkard with doubtful morals as a teacher. How lucky he was.

"So you're back Kenneth. You had us worried for a moment"

Kenneth looked to his left and saw the head master walking toward him. He quickly got up and bowed to her.

"Yolene-sama! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you-"

"It's quite alright. Mathias told me what happened before leaving to look for you. I take it you brought your student back safe and sound?" She said as she sat on the stone, gesturing him to sit back beside her. He did as he was told.

"Yes, everything is alright now. Our argument has been settled." He replied.

"Argument? About what?"

"Well, she discovered about my dream. She wasn't so happy about it."

"Hmmm, yes, I can understand why."

"She blamed me for treating her like a child and hiding things from her. But I meant no harm. I just wanted to protect her. But Verica is no longer a kid, whether I like it or not. I told her about the prophecy."

Yolene looked at Kenneth with surprise. "What? The prophecy? How do you know? Mathias told you, didn't he?"

"No, Moohae did."

"Oh. I see." Yolene replied as she looked away.

"But Mathias told me you didn't want me to know. Why?"

"Aah...I don't know. I remember that I had very good reasons when I decided it back then. Now I can't seem to remember those reasons. You already had so much on your mind; Your dream, your new student. I didn't know if any of this prophecy was true. I didn't want you to worry about it. I didn't know how you would react. Maybe I was treating you like a child too" She said as she laughed quietly.

"Well, I suppose it would be very hypocritical of me to blame you for that. I did it with Verica, you did it with me, that's only fair." He said as he laughed as well "And Mathias does it constantly with me. No surprise I did it with my student I guess."

"It's hard to look at children growing up." Yolene replied.

"Yeah. I don't know why, but when I look at her all I see is that girl that came to me at the Prontera gate and said 'Take me with you'. But she's 21! I can't seem to understand that."

"Maybe you don't want to see her growing up because it reminds you of your own age."

"Ah! Now that is a very plausible answer."

"Or you don't want to see the beautiful woman she's become."

"I prefer your first explanation master."

"Hmm, yeah, of course." She replied with a strange smile. "Tell me then, how did she react to the prophecy? From what I know, it seems she is part of it too."

"She thinks like Mathias."

"What do you mean?"

"They think it's important to understand the prophecy, to use it. It's an opportunity, or so they say."

"But that's not how you see it?"

"It's not that."

"What is it then?"

"With all due respect master, I don't think this is relevant to-"

"I decide what is relevant or not young man. What's on your mind?"

Kenneth looked at the head master for a few seconds, but he quickly looked away. Her gaze was so penetrating, he couldn't stand to stare at her in the eyes for too long.

"I spoke with the Taoist Hermit in Gonryun."

"Why am I not surprised?" She said with a sigh.

"He told me the prophecy Moohae spoke about, but in more detail. It clearly says that the chosen one will have to make choices. If he doesn't make the right ones, any kind of hope will be lost for humanity. Obviously, they are talking about me."

"You don't know that for sure."

"Don't take me for a fool master. My dream, the demon that tried to kill me, the image of me in a demonic book...I'm not the most intelligent guy around, but I'm not totally dumb either."

"Alright. I admit that it does sound like you have an outstanding destiny. But maybe you shouldn't give too much importance to this prophecy."

"Maybe..." He sighed heavily, running his hand in his hair like he always did when he was exasperated or when he just didn't know how to express his feelings. "But it's such an incredible chance. I don't know why I have my dream. Maybe God gave me those visions and if so, I would be a fool to ignore it! If we can have a chance to defeat one of the three great demons, we have to take it! No matter what!"

"What's the problem then?"

"It's just that..." He sighed again as he looked up at the sky. "This is so much to bear for a lone man. I'm no hero. I'm not prepared to face this. I can fight, alright! I can fight until my last breath without a second thought! I tried to convince myself that it was all I would need to be what God expects me to be and to carry on my destiny, but it won't. I need to understand this prophecy and my dream. But it just makes me crazy! The more I think about it, the more I feel my sanity slipping away. I just don't know how to make it right. I don't know how to keep my mind at peace while making sense of all this shit! This is such a mess...I'm a complete mess."

"I see..."

"I'm not a scholar or a wizard ! How am I suppose to understand all this?!"

"You are who you are Kenneth. If you truly are the hero the prophecy speaks about, there is a reason."

"What do you mean a reason?"

"There are many other people in this world who are, well, smarter than you. No offence."

"None taken."

"Sorcerers, alchemists, geneticists...These are probably the smartest people of Rune Midgard. If what we needed to save the world was a man like that, then they would be the ones blessed with visions, don't you think?"

"Where are you going with this?"

"As I said, you are who you are. Maybe you don't need anything else than that to succeed."

"I'm not sure I understand, sorry." Kenneth said as he scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed.

"You're a man of justice. You always do what is right and fight for what is true and just. You don't need to be the most intelligent man in the world to make a choice."

"But to make the right one, yes."

"You make choices based on your experience, you morals and what you believe in, not on your intelligence. You will make the right choices according to yourself and that's what is important. If God chose you, there is a reason. If he believes in you, then so do I."

"So you believe in the prophecy now?" He asked with perplexity.

"I didn't say that. But if it is true, then I suppose we are lucky."

"Lucky?"

"You're the youngest monk to ever become champion. You're gifted. You're kind, strong and despite what you seem to think, you're pretty smart too. More importantly, you're loyal, fair and fundamentally good. You do what is right, without ever being corrupted. Hell, with the teacher you had, it's a complete mystery as to how you became so righteous!"

Kenneth laughed at that comment. "That is indeed a good question."

"But I digress. My point is: you're an incredible champion. You're the perfect example of a holy executioner. You're the embodiment of our order. A man of justice! I don't see anyone else better than you to save humanity, if it has to be saved." She said as she looked at him in the eyes with compassion.

"I-I don't know what I should say to that...Thank you I guess." Kenneth answered shyly.

"Stop worrying about what you might have to do and how you're going to do it. I understand how difficult it is to accept. It's a very heavy burden, but you're not alone, are you?"

"No. You're right. The Taoist Hermit told me the same thing. He said that love and friendship was what makes our kind strong."

"I agree. You have Verica, Mathias and all your sisters and brothers. You're far from alone to bear this responsibility."

"I suppose."

"But that's not the only problem, is it? Something else is on your mind."

"I've already bothered you enough with my problems, Yolene-sama." Kenneth said with a nervous laugh. This was getting a little awkward. He started to get up, but Yolene called him back.

"Sit down young man. I'm not done"

Kenneth sat back reluctantly. "You know I don't like to talk about me like this, master..."

"I don't care. You said it yourself earlier Kenneth; your mind is clouded. You need to keep balance and peace within yourself. To do so, you have to accept and let go of your fears, your guilt, your shame and anything that bothers you. You know how it works."

"Yes."

"Then speak. Tell me what troubles you. You know you can talk to me."

"You know, I don't know what it's like to have a mother who actually cares but...I suppose it would be something like you." Kenneth said with a warm smile. Then he realized what he just said and bowed his head shyly. "I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean...it's really not appropriate. I-I forgot my place-"

"It's alright Kenneth. Don't be so formal. You're all my children. If you feel that way, then it means I do my job correctly." She replied with a bright smile.

"Hmm, you sound like Mathias. Ever since he started drinking like a fish 10 years ago, he keeps saying I'm like a son to him."

"A son..." Yolene repeated absently as she looked at the horizon. "It's true you know. You are...like his son." She said hesitantly.

"I know I know. It's just that I find it a bit sad that he tells me these kind of things only when he's drunk."

"He's always drunk." Yolene pointed out with exasperation.

"Well...Yes. And I think that's even sadder. I don't understand how he can be such a powerful champion, but at the same time be so blasphemous."

"Is that what's bothering you?"

"A little. He spends a lot of time with Verica. I don't teach her the way he taught me and I don't want Verica to believe everything he says. I mean, I respect him but sometimes I wonder if he even believes in God."

"Yes, he does."

"Really? I'm not so sure about that."

"Mathias is a good man and he believes in God." She repeated. "Probably more than any one of us here. Don't ever question that. He simply doesn't believe in the rules men created in his name."

"Still, his actions and his beliefs go against everything I learned at the church."

"The church doesn't have the absolute truth. We are monks, we serve God in a different way. Maybe it's time for you to start thinking more like a monk and less like a priest. Maybe your mind would be less troubled." She said as she got up and started to walk away. Kenneth got up as well to be respectful. She was the head master after all. However, she stopped after a few steps and turned around one last time. "But that doesn't mean you should start drinking like you teacher and sleep with everything that has a vagina."

"Ah! Thanks for specifying! I was about to do exactly that." Kenneth replied sarcastically.

"You flatter me Kenneth, but you're a bit young for me."

"What! N-no! That's not what I-. I didn't mean-"

"Aww, look at him! He's all red and stuttering. How cute."

"...You're doing this on purpose."

"Of course I am boy." She said with a smile before leaving.

Kenneth sat back on the stone with a smile and looked at her walking away. When he couldn't see her anymore, he looked at the sky and took a deep breath. He thought about everything Yolene said to him.

She was right. He knew she was. Yet it made it no easier to accept. But if he really was the chosen one, it meant that somehow he had what it takes to be a hero. Like the Hermit said, Thanatos and the nameless hero were just simple men before becoming icons. When the time to make choices comes, he will make what he thinks is the best decision based on his experience and his beliefs. He just had to be himself.

Easier said than done, of course. But he felt a little better nonetheless. Yolene wasn't the head master for no reason. She knew how to speak to people.

He got up from the stone and stretched. He wasn't sure what he should do now. Should he help Mathias and Verica understand the prophecy? Or maybe he shouldn't waste time with something he wasn't sure was true. Either way, there was one thing he knew; he'd been a real jerk earlier. He should probably go see Mathias and apologize for his behaviour.

But that was also easier said than done. He crossed his legs and started to meditate. Everything was easier after a good meditation.

* * *

><p>"This is very disturbing." Verica said to Mathias as she looked at the demonic book. The image of Kenneth was very unsettling. It looked so much like him. And that girl did look a bit like her.<p>

"Yes, it is." Mathias replied "And I'm not sure how it will help us understand the prophecy."

"And Kenneth's dream. It's so strange. Everything seem connected...but so different at the same time." Verica said. She sat on Mathias' bed as she rubbed her chin with her finger, the book in her other hand. "It's really upsetting."

"I agree." Mathias replied. He sat beside Verica and took a chest out from under his bed.

"What's this?" Verica asked.

"Just a little private stock." Mathias replied.

He opened the chest and Verica sighed heavily when she saw what was inside. Wine, rum, beer; the whole chest was filled with bottles of alcohol.

"You're unbelievable Mathias! Where do you get all of this?"

"Many places. I have lots of friends all around Midgard who help me." Mathias replied as he took a bottle of red wine and closed the chest. He opened the bottle and started to drink directly from it.

"You can't go a single day without drinking, can you?"

"I could. Doesn't mean I would want to."

"You know, from my point of view, it looks like you have a problem."

"Yes, I know..." Mathias replied with a sigh. He took a sip and rubbed his forehead "But I'm too old now. It's simpler to just...ignore it."

"But it's dangerous for your health-"

"Ah please girl! My health? I'm 55 years old. Most people don't even live to my age."

"That's no excuse. I know you don't care about the bible, but it says that drunkenness leads to debauchery. I agree that alcohol is not necessarily bad as long as it is taken in moderation, unlike what the church says, but you're drunk most of the time. That's not what I call moderation."

"Am I that obvious?"

"No. It's hard to tell when you're inebriated and when you're not. But I came to realize that it's not because you look sober that you really are. Kenneth says that you drink half a bottle of rum per day at least. It can't be good."

"Look, I have my reasons."

"I doubt they are good reasons."

"Who are you to judge?" Mathias said as he gave her a look that meant 'Watch your step. You're about to walk on a mine'.

"Right...Of course. I'm sorry." She replied softly. He reminded her of Kenneth with that glare. 3 years ago, in Prontera forest, Kenneth gave her that same stare along with a speech about how she didn't know anything about life. It was the exact same expression. It was a bit disturbing how much Kenneth had picked up many of his teacher's manners. Although in other area he was his complete opposite.

Mathias took the book from Verica's hand and looked at it while shaking his head. "I don't know what to make of this."

"You know, I'm not so sure about the army of justice anymore. There are no armies on this picture. Only a few people in the background. So I was thinking; maybe the army is not really an army, like Kenneth said." Verica replied.

"What could it be then?"

"Did you hear about the notice of King?"

"The notice? Yes, he's recruiting adventurers to fight the constant invasions of monsters around the big cities."

"People around the world are gathering to form groups of adventurers. I was thinking, maybe the army is one of those group."

"A group of adventurers?" Mathias repeated.

"Yes. Maybe a group that Kenneth will join eventually. I don't know."

"But don't forget the word justice. It says the army of justice. What makes them an army of justice?" He asked.

"...Well, they work for the King in a certain way, so they bring justice in his name."

"Maybe, but I find the knights much more plausible. They are the embodiment of justice in Rune Midgard. They capture criminals and send them to jail...I can't see what is more just than that."

"Maybe you're right." Verica sighed as she looked at the ground and scratched her head.

"And there is the missing soldier. Army, soldier...it makes sense to assume we're dealing with military here."

"The missing soldier could simply be an adventurer. The prophecy speaks of choices. Maybe one of those choices is to join the group. Maybe Kenneth is the missing solider himself."

"Now you're making me doubt." Mathias said after a moment of hesitation. "I don't know anymore. Everything you say could be true."

"There is something else that bothers me" Verica continued. "Kenneth said that the chosen one would be impossible to defeat, but easily influenced. What do they mean by influenced?"

"Influenced to make the wrong choice?"

"That's what I think too, but by whom?"

"You mean who will influence him?"

"Exactly."

"It doesn't have to be a person. Situations and experiences can influence our decision."

"I suppose, yes. But I thought that if it's a person, then maybe it's me."

"Because of the picture?"

"Yes. The woman is holding his heart, so in a way she's controlling him."

"But the prophecy says the woman would take his heart to replace hers."

"Maybe that's part of another choice. Will he let himself be controlled, or will he accept to give his heart to that woman...to me."

"We don't know if it's you." Mathias quickly said.

"Well, it does look a lot like me. And what about Kenneth's dream? He's sure it's me!"

"I'm not sure we can consider Kenneth's dream as a viable source of information."

"It's not less accurate than the prophecy and the book. I mean, he has the same dream every night! For 5 years! That's a hell of a coincidence!"

"True, but his dream doesn't match with the rest."

"Doesn't match?"

"As you said earlier, the chosen one is supposed to be impossible to defeat. If so, why is he dying in his dream?" Mathias asked as he took a sip.

"I...I don't know. That's a good question." Verica replied as she looked down at the floor and concentrate. Her brain was working at its maximum.

"This is a lot to analyze. Don't push yourself too hard." Mathias said as he passed her his bottle. "Here, have a sip."

"...I don't drink." She said hesitantly.

"Have you ever tried?"

"...Well..."

"Of course you haven't. Come on. Drink up!"

"I don't think Kenneth would be-"

"Kenneth never agrees with anything! He's not around! Let yourself go!"

Verica looked at the bottle and after a few seconds of mental debate, she took it. She brought it to her nose and smelled it.

"It smells horrible!" She said loudly.

"It doesn't taste the same as it smells...Well, maybe a little. Come on." Mathias encouraged her.

Verica brought the bottle to her lips and tilted it slowly. She closed her eyes and prepared herself mentally for the shitty taste she was going to have in her mouth.

She took a tiny gulp and kept the wine in her mouth for a moment, as if she was afraid to swallow it. After a few second under Mathias' persistent gaze, she finally drank it. It burned her throat as it went down. She made a disgusted face for a few seconds but as the taste disappeared from her mouth, she found it wasn't so bad after all.

"So? Are you dead?" Mathias asked as he laughed.

"No. It's...rather good actually."

"Really?"

"Well, it's not the best taste in the world but...It's not unpleasant." She replied with a smile.

"Ah, I'm glad to hear that. Just don't overdo it or you'll regret it."

"That's ok. I think I'm responsible enough to handle some wine." Verica replied with a smile.

* * *

><p>After a many hours of meditation at the southern cliff, Kenneth finally gathered his courage and went to Mathias' room where he felt his presence along with Verica's. He arrived in front of the door and took a deep breath before knocking on the door. A yes coming from the other side told him he could come in.<p>

He opened the door and saw Mathias sitting on a chair in front of his desk, bottle of wine in his hand. Verica was sitting on his bed with a book on her lap. They both looked up at him with surprise.

"Kenneth..." Mathias said as he put the bottle on his desk.

"Sensei..."He looked at Verica with an apologetic smile "Verica."

She returned his smile with a bright blush on her cheek.

"Can I talk to you, sensei?" He said, looking back at Mathias.

"Of course." Mathias replied as he looked at Verica. "Continue to think about it. We'll talk about it again later."

"Yeah, ok." She replied as got up from the bed. Actually, she tried to get up, but she fell right back on her rear.

"Are you ok?" Kenneth asked as he looked at her suspiciously.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm ok" She replied as she giggle a little. "And you?"

"...Me?"

"Yes, do you feel good sensei?!" She asked with a strange smile.

"...hm, yes, I guess."

"Ah, that's nice. I like it when you feel good." She said as she got up again.

She staggered a little but managed to stay on her feet. She walked out of the room, but she looked like she had trouble walking straight. Kenneth considered stopping her to know what was wrong, but he didn't want to treat her like a child again and so he let her go.

He walked into the room and sat on Mathias' bed. He looked at his sensei in silence for a moment. Great, the old man was not completely drunk. He could tell by his body language. Strange, because the bottle of wine was almost empty.

"So, have you come here to purge me from my sins?" Mathias asked with a laugh.

"No. I think I'm not holy enough for that." Kenneth replied with a smile.

"Haha, I think even God is not holy enough for that. So, what's wrong?"

"It's just that-" he sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I wanted to apologize. For what I said in the forest. I didn't mean any of it. I owe you everything I know and-"

"Ah, it's ok boy. It's not the first time you and I argue and it won't be the last. Forget about it. You're a son, my family. You don't stay angry at your family." Mathias interrupted. He looked at his ex-student with a raised brow and a smile full of innuendos. "Besides, let's be honest. Some of the things you said were true."

"Well, yeah but-"

"Hm, do you remember Maria?" Mathias interrupted.

"Sensei please..."

"Do you?"

"...Yes, I remember her." Kenneth said as he sighed deeply.

"Aww, I remember it like it was yesterday." Mathias continued. He was looking absently into space while ruminating through his memories. "It was in Payon. She was a young dancer performing in the streets. Long brown hair and eyes blue like the sky. I remember that you invited her to our inn-"

"She didn't have enough money to get a room. I invited her so she wouldn't have to sleep in the street." Kenneth replied quickly.

"Yes, of course. What I heard that night told me otherwise."

"Sensei! Please stop it!" Kenneth said as he hid his blushing face with his palm. "This was a long time ago. A very long time ago."

"Yes. Those were the good times. You were willing to try anything back then. Followed me everywhere. Now you're just so bound to your principles."

"That's called 'growing up' Mathias. You should try it someday." Kenneth replied with a smile.

"Maybe someday. But not now." Mathias said as he patted him on his back. "I just love looking at your disapproving face."

"Kss, you'll never change." Kenneth said. He looked at the bottle of wine on the desk. "Don't tell me you drank all this since we arrived?!"

"Of co- I mean, yes. I did..."

"You don't look sure." Kenneth asked, sceptical.

"You're paranoid boy."

"Wait..." Kenneth's eyes widen as realization dawned on him. "Don't tell me you-"

"I-I didn't force her or anything!"

"Mathias!"

"What?!"

"You've gotta be kidding me" Kenneth said as he looked at his sensei in disbelief. "Are you doing this on purpose to annoy me? Kss, why am I asking? Of course you are!"

"I offered some wine to her, she accepted, she took a few sips, that's all!"

"Now I understand why she acted so strange."

"What's bothering you so much? There is nothing wrong in drinking some wine." Mathias continued.

"She's too young!" Kenneth said, exasperated.

"She's 21 for god's sake! You should try to really look at her for more than a minute and you might see that your little pupil is no longer a kid. Man, just look at her curves..."

"Enough!" Kenneth quickly interrupted him again "I don't want to hear this."

"Whatever boy. Ignore it while you can. Someday it will jump out on you and may God forgive your actions on that day." Mathias said while laughing as he took his bottle and drank what was left.

"What the hell are you talking about old man?" Kenneth asked.

"Nothing. Don't listen to me." Mathias replied, still laughing to himself.

Kenneth sighed as he bowed his head and closed his eyes. After a moment of silence he looked back at his sensei.

"I'm really treating her like a child, aren't I?"

"Yeah, a little"

"Urg, you're right. She's 21. If she wants to drink wine, it's her business. Hell, even after all the trouble we got into because of my incapacity to see her for the woman she is, it's like I didn't learn anything."

"I understand that you want to protect her. But you won't always be there."

"That remains to be seen. Look at you. You're still here." Kenneth said with a laugh.

"You know what I mean."

"Yes, I know."

"You can teach her whatever you want. In the end, she'll make her own choices and follow her own path. And it may not be the one you intended for her."

"Speaking from experience?" Kenneth replied with a smile. He meant it as a joke, but when he saw Mathias' expression, he realized it wasn't so funny after all.

"I'm proud of you boy. Don't ever doubt that. But to say that you are what I expected you to become would be a lie. But who knows, maybe it's better that way...probably IS better that way actually."

Kenneth looked away from him. "You never told me that."

"It's not negative. I simply didn't expect you to become such a tight-ass. No offence."

"Hm, yeah, I suppose I am little tight-assed." Kenneth replied as he chuckled a little.

"But that's who you are. I can't blame you for that. As I said, it's probably better that way. I wouldn't want you to end up like me..." Mathias said as he looked at his empty bottle. "By the way, I need to apologize too."

"For what?" Kenneth asked as he looked back at him.

"I was so wrapped in the prophecy, I didn't think about what it meant for you. It's...probably hard to accept."

"Well, yes. I had a hard time taking it in."

"For what it's worth, I think there is nothing to worry about."

Kenneth gave Mathias a confused look. He put his hand back on his student's shoulder, staring at him directly into his eyes. "You are everything a teacher can hope to find in his student. And if I was your father, well, I would be the proudest father in the world."

"Sensei..." Kenneth looked away from him a little embarrassed. He hated when he did that; getting all emotional with him.

"I mean it! You are an incredible champion! I know you hate compliments, but it's true! You're a man of justice and if there is anyone in this land that can stop a demon and become a hero like the prophecy tells, it's you. I have no doubt about it and you shouldn't have any either." Mathias continued. "You're a hell of a man Kenneth and whatever happens, I know you'll do what is right and make the right decisions."

Kenneth stayed silent for a moment. Then he smiled as he looked back at his teacher"...Thank you sensei. I appreciate it."

"You know I mean it."

"Yes, I know."

Kenneth got up from the bed and started to walk toward the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a drunk student to find before she does anything stupid." he said looking at Mathias with an accusatory stare. Mathias just laughed as he took another bottle of alcohol from his chest. Kenneth shook his head as he walked away and left the Abbey.

* * *

><p>Verica was walking around the abbey, not really looking where she was going. The sun was almost completely down and there was no one outside. Everyone was back at the sanctuary. She decided to go there as well. Her head felt heavy all of a sudden. She decided it would be best to go to bed.<p>

As she walked toward the sanctuary, she found herself having a problem walking in a straight line. She stumbled a few times and after the third time tripping over her own foot, she simply decided to stay where she was. She crawled to a tree near the road and leaned on it as she tried to make the dizziness in her head disappear, with little success.

She didn't know how long she stayed there, but after an unknown amount of time, someone called her name.

She looked up and saw Kenneth looking down at her with an exasperated expression.

"There you are." He sighed.

"Hello sensei." She said as she closed her eyes again.

"What are you doing in the middle of the abbey at night like this?" He asked, acting like he was oblivious to her state.

"Just taking a nap."

"You should go to the sanctuary. Sleep on a bed."

"Yeah, I was going there but-"

"But what?"

"Well, the ground looked very comfy here so-"

"Enough girl. I know you drank with Mathias."

"...Oh. And...Are you mad?" She asked as she gave him a sheepish look.

"No, I'm not. You're old enough to do what you want. Doesn't mean I agree with it though."

"Ah, I'm glad you're not angry" She said with a bright smile.

"Hm, you know, the problem when you drink for the first time is that you don't know your limit. You do realize you drank almost an entire bottle of wine."

"Mathias drank too."

"Barely..."

"Oh...Maybe." She said as she tried to remember how much she drank. "Sensei?"

"Yes."

"Am I drunk?" She asked, very serious, looking at the ground with a hooded gaze.

"I don't know, are you drunk?" He asked back. He was starting to find this whole situation a bit funny.

"I don't know...I've never been drunk before."

"Well, I think you got a pretty good idea what it's like now."

"It's not very...Entertaining."

"Wait until tomorrow before complaining." Kenneth said as he crouched beside her. He looked at her and couldn't stop himself from laughing. She looked so wasted.

Then he noticed her neck where her acolyte cross used to be. "Will you tell me where you acolyte cross is?" He asked, hoping to get the truth this time.

"I lost it...In the forest" She said looking around her nervously.

"Why are you lying to me?"

"I'm not lying..."

"Yes, you are. And you're not doing a very good job."

Verica sighed before looking up at her sensei. "When the assassin came to kill the thug, I asked her to cure you. She didn't want to, so I gave her my cross as payment."

Kenneth looked at her for a long moment speechless. "That's...not what I expected."

"You were on the verge of death;" she continued as she put her hand on his. "There was no time to think. I did what first came to my mind."

"Thank you for saving me...But I'm sorry you lost your cross."

"I don't care." She said as she looked up at him with a smile. "I would have done anything to keep you alive, and I would do it again."

Her body moved on its own as she leaned on him and pressed her face in the crook of his neck. Her breath tickled him and sent a most disturbing shiver down his spine.

"I'm so glad you're alive..." She mumbled.

Kenneth remained silent for a moment as he smiled. "I'm glad you're alive too." he whispered.

"And still a virgin, thanks to you..." She replied. "Thank you so much for saving me. Losing my virginity to a criminal was not really what I had in mind."

"Yeah, I believe you." He said as he moved away from her a little. Verica's virginity was not really a subject he wanted to speak about presently, especially not with her while she was drunk.

"Are you a virgin sensei?" She asked as if ti was the most normal question in the world.

"Excuse me?" He asked with a confused look.

"I asked if you were a virgin." She repeated.

"Hmmm, no. I'm not." He replied as he looked around. This was really getting awkward. "We shouldn't stay here you know..."

"Is it true what you said to Mathias?"

"About what?"

"'All I learned from you was to fuck Gypsies in a shabby inn'... is it true?"

"Of course not. I owe everything I know to Mathias."

"No. I mean, is it true that you-"

"Ah, ok yeah, I get what you mean now." He interrupted her quickly. "This part of my life is really far behind me Verica. Now, let's get you out of here."He said as he tried to make her stand, with little success.

"Is that how you lost your virginity?"

"Why are you asking me all this Verica?"

"I'm just curious."

"With all due respect, it's none of your business." God, she had no inhibition in her inebriated state.

"Tell me and I'll tell you when I'll first have sex-" She said with a giggle.

"I don't want to know that!" he quickly said, his cheeks starting to redden in embarrassment. "And I don't want to hear the word 'sex' coming out of your mouth again, please. For the good of my sanity."

"Hehe, you're so cute when you're embarrassed." She giggled again. "But then again, you're always cute."

"Alright...I think you really need to go to bed now. You don't know what you're saying girl." He said as he tried yet again to make her stand.

"I'm not moving. You didn't tell me how you lost your virginity"

"This is really ridiculous, you know that?"

"Yes, but I'm drunk. It's an excuse to do whatever I want without feeling guilty." She replied with a bright smile.

Kenneth sighed as he rolled his eyes. "If I tell you, you'll come with me?"

"Yes."

He couldn't believe he was going to do this...

"Alright. I lost my virginity when I was 16 in a brothel at Comodo with a girl named Sasha, if that is her real name, who was 10 years older than me. Satisfied?"

"...Wow. You lost your virginity at 16? In a brothel? That's kind of unusual for a monk, no?"

"Yes, but remember who my teacher was. Now fill your part of the deal, come on!" Kenneth replied as he took her hand to help her stand. He had enough of her drunken whims. This was really too awkward.

"Alright, alright, that's fair." She said as she got on her feet. She looked like she was about to fall back any moment.

"Can you walk?"

"No, I don't think I can." She said. Then she looked at him with a devilish smile. "I think you'll have to carry me sensei."

"That, or I could just leave you here"

"You love me too much to do that" She replied as she looked at him with big shining eyes.

"Eh, You're right." Kenneth said with a warm smile. He slid his arm under her knees and took her in his arms. He started to walk toward the sanctuary as she leaned her head on his chest.

"You mean it?" She asked.

"Mean what?"

"You really love me?" She said, looking absently into space.

"Of course I do. What kind of question is that?"

"Hm, I'm glad you love me. I think..." She paused a moment. She wrapped her arm around his neck and snuggled against him. "I think I'm starting to love you...more than I should..." she whispered.

Kenneth looked down at his student. He didn't quite hear what she said, but she looked asleep, so he didn't bother to wake her up. He smiled to himself as he thought about what an horrible morning she was going to have tomorrow. Getting drunk was one thing. Getting drunk on wine was another. He remembered the first time he drank alcohol. It was funny at the moment, but all those hours he spent throwing up the next day were not. As much as he wanted Verica to bear the consequences of her actions, he still hoped she would get away with it. Either way, she would learn from her mistakes...like everyone.

Yeah. Verica was an adult. There are things you can't teach. Beside, she was progressing so quickly that in a few years, she would be off to Juno to become a champion. He wouldn't always be there to protect her. It was time for him to let her go.

"Hmm"

Verica moved in his arms a little as she mumbled. Kenneth's smile widened. Maybe someday she wouldn't need him anymore. But right now she did. So he would make sure to take care of her the best he could. Even if it meant holding her hair while she threw up.

* * *

><p>Voilà. I hope you liked it. Not much happens, I know. This is all blah blah blah and no actions. I'm sorry :P I hope you'll keep reading nonetheless. This ends the part where she is 21. Next chapter will take place 2 years later. We are drawing close to major plot twists, I can't wait to write it :D haha.<p> 


	15. 4:Heat

Chapter 15 here. Takes place 2 years after chapter 14.

Thanks to lightchimera for the title change lol. This is better.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15 Heat<strong>

"Damn it's so hot..." Bashu said, laying on the grass.

"I know. Saying it won't change anything." Kenneth replied from his spot under a tree.

"I know, but I like to complain."

"Whatever..."

Kenneth and Bashu were like everyone else in the abbey at the moment, dying from the heat. It was the hottest summer Kenneth had ever known here. Even the head master was complaining, going on and on about how this was not normal and that some fool magic was involved. But truth was that she was just old and her heat tolerance was not what it used to be.

Everyone was wearing only the necessary. Men in their pants and woman in their strapless tank tops. No shoes, no coat, nothing that could cause extra sweating. Even he, who usually always wore his complete suit, was only wearing his pants. It was suffocating, to say the least.

"Do you think it will be like this again tomorrow?" Bashu asked.

"I don't know"

"Do you think it will be like this all summer?"

"I don't know..."

"Do you think-"

"I don't fucking know Bashu! Do I look like a fortune teller?" Kenneth replied, exasperated.

"Sorry...urg, damn it's so hot."

"You already said that."

"I know. Doesn't change the fact that IT IS hot!"

"Urg, stop saying it! It just makes it worst!"

"Sorry..."

They stayed immobile for a while. Kenneth looked at the people passing on the road. Everyone looked like they were dying. God, he hated summer and he hated the heat.

"We've been here for days, doing nothing. Don't you have a student to teach?" Bashu said all of a sudden.

"There is no way I'm going to train in this living hell." Kenneth replied. "Besides, I don't even know where Verica is."

"You two used to be inseparable. Every time I saw you, she was there following you like your shadow. But in the last 2 years she grew apart from you. What happened? Has she finally realized how much of an ass you are?" Bashu said with a cocky smile.

Kenneth opened his eyes to look at his friend. "What's up with that all of a sudden?"

"Meh, it's just an observation. I see her with you less often nowadays. She always wanted to be with you before. Now it's been a week and you don't even know where she is. I'm just saying she's starting to fly with her own wings. That, or she's upset with something."

"I don't know." Kenneth said as he looked in front of him, thoughtful. "I didn't really notice anything peculiar. I suppose she just wants some time alone. I mean she's 23. She's a big girl and doesn't always need me to tell her what to do all the time."

"Doesn't it scare you?"

"Scare me?"

"Yeah. That your little girl is now a woman. I mean, it's one thing to acknowledge her growth, but it's something else to really let her go. Doesn't it sadden you?"

"I...I don't know. I never really thought about it. I just try to give her the space she needs. It's a good thing that she's become more independent, no?"

"Sure. But that's not what I'm asking. I'm asking you, as her teacher, how do you feel about it?"

Kenneth looked at Bashu for a long moment not really knowing what to say. Finally he shrugged and closed his eyes again.

"Hell, I don't know! Why are you asking me all this anyway! Have you decided to become a psychologist?"

"Now, now, no need to be angry. I was just asking you how you felt."

"Yeah, well, mind your own business."

"Kss, whatever. Think what you want, but I believe that you should try to talk about it."

"About what?" Kenneth asked, starting to get irritated.

"How you feel about Verica. I mean, she's going to leave eventually. You should try to acknowledge your feelings towards that fact. It will be too late once she is gone."

"I don't know if it's the heat, but I don't understand a word of what you're saying. What's your point exactly? That I should spend more time with Verica while she's still here? She doesn't need me to follow her around anymore to make sure she's okay, you know"

"Hm, what happened 2 years ago really went to your head."

"Are you saying it shouldn't have? We almost got killed that day. She made it pretty clear that I was treating her like a child. I corrected the situation and so far she hasn't complained. I don't see what's wrong. Are you just trying to confuse me? Because you're doing a hell of a job."

"Alright alright, I'm sorry. I was just trying to warn you. She's your first student. It's never easy to see them walk away."

"All the more reason why I should get used to not being with her anymore."

"Hm. Whatever. Do what you want. But despite all that, don't you think it's strange that you haven't seen her for a whole week?"

Kenneth opened his eyes again and stared at Bashu. They looked at each other for a moment before Kenneth spoke.

"Yeah...that is rather strange, I admit."

"My thought exactly."

"Hm..." Kenneth closed his eyes and concentrated to feel Verica's presence, but he felt nothing. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Guess I should probably check on her."

"I think you should. I mean, you never know. Maybe Mathias made her drink again. That could lead to a whole lot of unpleasant situations that I'd rather not think about. Haha, I remember the last time it happened. The head master was so furious! I wouldn't have wanted to be at Mathias' place back then!" Bashu said while laughing.

Kenneth looked thoughtfully at the ground, not really listening to Bashu anymore. Something serious could have happened to her. Or maybe she was just under a tree like himself trying not to die from the heat and he simply hasn't seen her. But what Bashu said resonated in his head. It's true that in the last two years, she spent less and less time with him. Sometimes he even thought that she was avoiding him, but he always blamed this impression on his paranoia and never attached great importance to it. However, as Bashu said, it has been a week now. He'd never spent so much time without seeing her. Either she really was avoiding him for good or she was upset with him about something.

Or something has happened to her.

"Yeah, I really should check on her." Kenneth said in a worried tone as he got up.

"Hey, I was just kidding. You don't really think something happened to her, do you?" Bashu asked as he rose on his elbow.

"I don't know. Everything is possible with her." He replied as he walked away.

The moment he stepped into the sun, he felt his skin melt and almost heard it scream in pain. Damn weather. He hated the heat so much...

But there was no time to complain. The only person who would know where Verica was, was Mathias. He felt his presence at the sanctuary and so he started to walk in its direction.

* * *

><p>Kenneth arrived at the sanctuary and saw his teacher eating at a table. He walked in his direction and tapped on his shoulder. The old man turned around and smiled.<p>

"Ah, Kenneth! Been a few days since I've seen you. You finally left the comfort of your shadowy spot?"

"Yes, I'm looking for Verica. Have you seen her?"

"Hm, I saw her two days ago. She was training with Alek." The old man said.

Kenneth looked at his teacher stunned for a second.

"Who the hell is Alek?" He asked, perplexed.

"A young boy who arrived here last year. Merril's student."

"What is she doing with him?"

"I told you she was training boy. Don't be so protective. Maybe she's still with him." Mathias said. He closed his eyes and concentrated to feel the boy's presence. "Alek is just outside the Abbey in the Prontera forest. Near the ocean. You should go check."

"Alright. Thanks."

"No problem boy. Oh, but wait." Mathias took a piece of paper out of his pocket. "You got a letter."

"You're stealing my mail now, old man?" Kenneth said as he took the letter.

"Of course not."

"The envelope is open..."

"Must have been damaged in the transport."

"Right..." Kenneth said as he rolled his eyes.

He turned around and went outside the sanctuary. What Mathias told him somewhat surprised him. He never saw Verica with another apprentice before. She was always with him and rarely talk with anyone else except Mathias. He didn't even know this Alek, but if he was Merril's student, surely he was a good boy. If Verica wasn't with him then maybe Alek could tell him where she was.

He looked down at the envelope and took the letter from it. He check the bottom of the letter to see who it was from, even it he knew pretty well who wrote it.

It was signed "Carly". Of course. Who else would send him a letter. He read it quickly. It was a short letter, only meant to tell him that she was still alive. Although this letter brought an important news. After many years of travels around Midgard, she finally went to Juno and became a champion. Kenneth smiled widely at the news. He was happy for her, but it also meant that she would probably come back to the abbey soon. Maybe in a year or two, if she wasn't off travelling the world again.

He hoped she would come back. He hated to admit it, but he really missed her. She had always been a good friend, despite the little problems they encountered before she left. Somehow, something was missing in this abbey without her.

He placed the letter back in its envelope and put it in his pocket as he continued to walk toward the forest.

* * *

><p>After half an hour of walk, Kenneth finally saw the ocean. He concentrated to feel Alek's presence. It wasn't hard to spot in the middle of nowhere like this. He wondered why Verica was hiding hers though. Probably just a habit.<p>

He hid his own presence and walked in their direction. He wasn't sure why he did. Probably because he didn't want them to know he was there...childish and paranoid, yes, but it was too late as he heard burst of laughter and splashes of water. He walked pass a tree and saw them. She was indeed with him. The boy had brown hair and dark eyes, like Verica. They were playing in the water like two little kids. It would have made Kenneth laugh if it wasn't for the fact that they were both in their underwear. He wasn't sure if it angered him or bothered him. A little of both probably.

It shouldn't bothered him that much though. It was logical. You don't get in the water with your clothes on. Beside, everyone changed in the sanctuary and bathed at the lake without anyone caring about who's naked or not. He'd seen Verica getting changed more than once, like everyone in the abbey. Why was this bothering him so much now.

Kenneth repressed his annoyance and left his hiding place to approach them.

Verica saw him first. She stopped what she was doing immediately and sat down so that the water would raise to her neck.

"Sensei?"

The young boy turned around quickly. When he saw Kenneth, he straighten and bowed in respect.

"What are you two doing out there?" Kenneth asked as he stopped just in front of the water.

"Just trying to cool down, sensei." Verica replied shyly.

"Yes, I see that. A brilliant idea. I don't know why no one else thought about coming here." Kenneth looked at Alek. "I don't think we've met."

"Hm, no. My name's Alek. I'm Merril's student." The boy said as he bowed again.

"Nice to meet you. I'm-"

"Oh, I know who you are sir! You're Kenneth. Youngest monk to ever become a champion. My teacher has been going on and on about you ever since I started my training."

"Really? Well, I'm sorry about that. Must be...discouraging."

"It's a good motivation actually. You know, to try to do better than you." He said with a cocky smile.

"Kss, confident I see."

"Nah, I'm just teasing. I try to do my best. It's all that matters."

"A good way to see things. Where are you from, Alek?"

"I'm from Rachel."

"The city of the pope eh? That's nice."

"Yes, it's a beautiful city. I even saw him once." Alek said with an hint of pride in his eye.

"You saw the pope? What is he like?"

"I would say...disconnected. It's like he's not really aware of what's going on outside of his sanctuary."

"And why did you decide to become a monk?"

"I thought the priest life was a bit too strict. When I learned about the monks, I though that your vision of faith and God suited me better."

"Yet it's the same fate and the same God."

"Yes, but your interpretation is more...useful." The boy said hesitantly. "I mean, I understand the work of a priest, but they don't do anything to really fight evil and bring justice to the world. As a monk, I feel I can really make a difference."

"But priests can heal and save people's life." Kenneth remarked.

"Yes, but I can save them before they get hurt."

"Hm, an interesting way of seeing things."

As they talked, Verica watched them in silence. She felt a little awkward in her undergarment. But she didn't really know what else to do but stand there.

"You know you got me a bit worried." Kenneth said as he looked at Verica. "I haven't seen you in a whole week. You could have at least let me know you were alright. I was starting to believe you were avoiding me."

"Why would I do that?" She said as she gazed up at him.

"I don't know. Woman and their logic. Not my forte." He said with a shrug. Alek laughed at the comment.

"I know you hate when it's hot outside, so I knew you wouldn't want to train. I simply didn't bother asking you." She got out of the water and walked to the shore. Alek's eyes lingered on her rear too much for Kenneth's liking, but he didn't say anything.

"Still, it's been a week..." He insisted. "You never-"

"I'm sorry I worried you, sensei." She interrupted him as she started to get dressed. "I won't do it again."

Kenneth watched her silently with an impassive look. Alek felt a little awkward and out of place so he got out of the water and put on his pants quickly.

"I'll go back to the Abbey. Do you...want to catch up later?" The boy asked discreetly.

"I'd like that" She said with a bright smile.

"Alright" He replied, obviously pleased by the answer. "Wanna meet here again tonight? At 8?"

"Sure. That would be nice."

"Awesome! See you later V." He said as he turned back toward the older man and bowed one last time. "It was a pleasure to meet you Kenneth."

"Yeah. Sorry I interrupted you." He replied, his eyes still locked on Verica.

"Ah, it's no trouble. I was getting hungry anyway."

Alek disappeared behind the trees of the forest. As Verica put on her black strapless tank top, Kenneth kept staring at her. He noticed how flat-chested she was. Or maybe it was just all that bandage covering her breast that flattened them, making them look smaller. Not that it was important really...actually it wasn't important at all and he pushed away his thoughts. He focused his attention back to her face and smiled.

"So...V eh? You two are pretty close if he's nicknaming you already."

"It's not a nickname. It's just shorter to say than Verica." She replied, putting her shoes on.

"How old is he?"

"I think he's 20. Why?" She asked back, looking at the ocean.

"Just asking."

Kenneth noticed how she avoided his gaze. Something was bothering her, obviously. Bashu's words rang at the back of his head. Maybe his paranoia was justified after all. Maybe she really was upset with him for something. Otherwise, she would have come to him long ago to force him to train despite the temperature. Why hadn't she?

"What's wrong?" Kenneth questionned.

"Nothing, why?"

"Then look at me when I talk to you." He said in his authoritative "sensei" tone. She sighed and turned her head just enough to look at him. She locked her eyes on his and didn't move as a light blush appeared on her cheeks. Barely apparent. Not enough for Kenneth to notice anyway, but she felt the heat rising to her face. He moved toward her and stopped just in front of her as he crossed his arms.

"Alright. I can see you don't feel like talking presently. I respect that. Can you just tell me one thing though?" He asked.

"Hm?"

"Are you angry at me?"

She gave him a confused look. "No, of course not. Why?"

"It's just that...never mind. My paranoia is speaking again." Kenneth said with a smile as he started to turn around.

Verica caught his arm before he turned his back on her. "Why do you think that?" She quickly said. He looked back and stared at her a moment before chuckling.

"Ah, I'm sorry. It's just that in the last 2 years you really grew apart from me. It's not a reproach of course. Just an observation. And I have to admit that sometime...it looks like you're avoiding me." He said as he looked carefully into her eyes. She removed her hands from his arm and looked side-way as she bowed her head slightly.

"I'm not avoiding you..."

"Did I do something to upset you then? I know I'm not the most tactful of men" he said, scratching the back of his head.

"You didn't." She replied, staring back at him with a strange look that Kenneth was not quite able to identify.

"...What is it then?"

"I..." She started, but stopped. Her cheeks blushed more every second. She was playing with her hands and avoiding his gaze again. After a long moment of hesitation, she forced herself to look up at him with a smile. Her brain worked really hard to find a coherent lie to tell him.

"I'm sorry sensei. I didn't mean to worry you. It's just that my training is almost over. I know I'll have to leave eventually. I have to admit that it scares me a little." She continued as she silently prayed that it would satisfy him.

He didn't say anything at first. He simply looked carefully at her with an emotionless face. After a few seconds he smiled warmly at her again.

"See, it wasn't so hard to say." He said. "You should have talked about it sooner you know. It's normal to be scared of things you don't know. But don't worry. I know you'll do just fine when you'll leave."

'He's definitely buying it...' She thought to herself in relief.

"I know. I'm sorry sensei." She replied with an apologetic smile. "I didn't mean to make you think that I was angry at you. I just needed some time alone to think about all this. My fears will fade away with time, I know it."

"I know. It's not like you've ever been scared of anything before." He said, still smiling widely at her.

"Thank you for taking care of me, sensei." She added with a shy smile and this strange gleam in her eyes that disturbed Kenneth a little. But he ignored it.

"What can I say? I just love to take care of you." He replied with a grin as he ruffled her hair.

She complained silently and tried to get away from his hands. She looked up and pouted, which just made him laugh.

"Hehe, sorry. I know I promised not to do this anymore, but it's just so funny." He said as he turned around. "Well, we should go back, don't you think?"

"Yes, sensei." She whispered as she slowly followed behind him.

She sighed and closed her eyes a few seconds. When she opened them again, they locked on Kenneth's back. She wasn't used to seeing it like this. In all those years, she almost never saw him without his complete champion suit. To see him only in his pants now was...distracting.

Why was this man so perfect? It was like he had been cut by a sculptor. Having a perfect view of his bare back in front of her right now, she could appreciate it even more.

It was maddening. She was more aware of her teacher's sexiness than she ever was. She often wished she was 16 again. Back then, Kenneth was just a kind sensei with a charming smile, not a fucking sex bomb making her heart stop every time he touched her!

It was part of the reasons why she didn't seek him out for training the last few days. Actually, it was part of the reasons why she grew apart from him a little in the last two years. What happened in the forest after she'd been captured by a band of thieves was the trigger to those unhealthy thoughts; this magic moment when she ran her spiritual energy through his brain and almost kissed him in a moment of confusion and incomprehension. Even today she couldn't understand why she did it. One thing was sure though, she's never been able to look at him like before since then.

She had rationalized her feeling by calling it "temporary obsession". Training as a monk meant that your youth was not like everyone else, especially in the love and sexual department. Most monks remain virgins all their life or do it only when they get married, which is rare. So she told herself that her "admiration" toward her sensei was probably just a late, normal reaction to her hormones or something like that, and that it would go away eventually. It has been 2 years though, and the feeling was not going away...

Of course, she knew that the simple fact of thinking about it was a sin. She couldn't help herself, but she always confessed her dirty thoughts to Touha afterward. She repeated to Verica that "These kind of thoughts are normal for young people. You just have to learn to control your impulses and know what is right and what is wrong."

What she never told Touha was that her dirty thoughts always involved an older man...who was her teacher...

God this was so wrong...

"So, this 'Alek' looks like a good boy." Kenneth said all of a sudden, interrupting her inner monologue.

"What? Hm, yes. I suppose." She replied, not really knowing what to say to that.

"He seems to enjoy your company."

"...I suppose."

'What's up with that all of a sudden?' She asked herself.

"Hm, he seems to like you." He remarked with a suggestive smile that made Verica look away in embarrassment.

"Oh! I see where you are going with this now! It's not like that!" She said, raising her voice.

"Oh, of course it is. Don't lie to me."

"There is nothing going on!" She repeated, irritated.

"Yes, yes, believe what you want." He said as he looked away and chuckled. Verica crossed her arms and stared at him angrily.

"I don't like your tone sensei. I'm telling you it's not like that!"

Kenneth didn't answer and just looked in front of him with a smile.

"Kss!" She turned her head away and mumbled incomprehensibly as Kenneth laughed.

"I'm just telling you what I saw Verica. "

"Yeah, well, you saw wrong. I'm not interested."

"If you're not interested, he clearly is." He replied, trying to look more serious.

"I...you're just teasing me." She said as she looked back at him.

"I believe you when you say there is nothing going on. I just want you to know that it's ok if there is...eventually."

She stared at him in confusion. Was he really talking about what she thought?

"Are you...encouraging me to-"

"I know I've never been kind about everything that revolved around love. But I'm able to admit that my judgment is somewhat... distorted. If you feel something for him, it's ok. I just want you to know it. Love is a complicated concept for monks. Not as strict as priests, but not as free as normal people. I know it's confusing. So, if by any chance you come to care about him for more than a friend, it's perfectly alright."

Verica just watched her sensei, incredulously. She never thought he would tell her something like that. It was kind of touching really. It bothered her a little that he didn't care more than that though. She would have preferred it if he acted more defensive or...jealous, to some extent. Now she felt like she could just marry anyone and he wouldn't care whatsoever. She knew Kenneth had a strong sense of responsibility toward her. Like a father protecting his daughter. Wasn't he going to argue more than that about her and Alek? Not that there was something going on anyway but...if there was, was he really going to accept it that easily?

But he meant well. She was about to thank him but...

"Just remember: Not before marriage." He added, very seriously.

"Ah! Sensei! Please!" she yelled in embarrassment.

"Haha, where is the girl who asked me about my virginity 2 years ago?"

"This girl is buried deep inside my subconscious and will never come out again I assure you." She replied as she looked away to hide her reddening cheeks.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

'Lie. You love to make me uncomfortable...' She thought.

"But I mean it, you know. If there is something between you and...Alek." He said his name hesitantly. "I trust you to be responsible about it and not let it get in the way of your path toward inner peace. You're a good student and I have high hopes for you. I know you'll be a great champion. So, don't let anything change that." He said as he gave her his warm smile again.

"...Yes, I know. Don't worry sensei." She said after a moment of reflection. "Anyway, there really is nothing going on." She repeated again.

"I believe you." He said as he put his hands in his pocket and looked forward. He clearly didn't believe her, but she abandoned the idea of convincing him.

She simply continued to walk and tried to ignore her sensei walking beside her...shirtless...with his pants hanging just at the right height...

God had a strange sense of humour nowadays. That, or he simply enjoyed looking at her getting embarrassed.

* * *

><p>Kenneth and Verica went to the sanctuary together once they got back to the abbey. After they ate, she tried to convince him to train but Kenneth was categorical on the matter. "It's too fucking hot" was the only thing he could reply. She didn't understand though. She honestly didn't think it was that hot, but all Kenneth said when she told him was "We don't live in the same dimension then".<p>

But after many minutes of harassment and puppy eyes, Kenneth surrendered and agreed to teach her something new.

"Alright alright. I'll teach you something. Urg."

"You could teach me asura strike." She said with a devilish smile.

"You're not ready for asura strike. You don't even know snap yet and-" He paused and then smiled back at her. "Hm, I could teach you that though."

"Snap?"

"Yeah. I suppose you're ready for that. And it won't require much physical effort. Would that suit you?" He asked.

"Of course!" She replied happily. She'd been eager to learn something new!

"Alright. Let me explain the concept while we walk to the training ground."

"Ok."

"The first thing you need to know about snap is that you need a spirit sphere to use it. That, or you must be in fury state." Kenneth started as he put his brain into "sensei" mode.

Verica watched him with great attention as she nodded to everything he said. It was really a charm to teach this girl. She just made you feel like the most important and intelligent person in the world. In all honesty, he loved it.

"The next thing you need to know is that you must see where you're going. You can't teleport in another room, because you don't see what is in that room. You could teleport inside something. If you can't see somewhere, don't go there."

"But in theory it's possible?"

Kenneth glared at her and crossed his arms."Listen carefully girl, whatever the situation you're in, no matter how dire it is, you must never try it. This is very dangerous. It would kill you if you teleported inside something solid. And there is nothing we could do to help you. It would be like your body was crushed under something extremely heavy." He bowed to bring his face a few inches away from her. "It would be a long and painful death." He whispered, slowly, trying to look threatening.

But to Verica, his voice mixed with his proximity sounded more erotic than threatening really. She gulped, not for the reason she was supposed to, as she tried in vain to calm her heart rate.

"Got it?" He asked as he straightened.

"Y-yes. Sensei." Verica replied.

"Good. Now it's important to remember that snap is not like warp portal or teleport. Those skills imply a dematerialization and a rematerialization. There is no link between your initial position and your destination. When you use snap, there is a link, even if we don't see it."

Verica nodded.

"Snap can't teleport you very far. Actually, it doesn't really teleport you. It just makes you move so fast that it's like you disappear."

"That's why we can't go through walls?"

"No. In theory, if it wasn't for what I explained to you earlier, we could go through walls. For example, you can snap through someone if you see what is behind him. You'll just pass through him like he was not there."

"So there is a dematerialization?"

"Not really. It's more like an ethereal form. If we could see someone use snap in slow-motion we would see him move. But he would be like a ghost. It's the effect of the speed. You're going so fast that you don't belong to this reality anymore."

"That's a very complicated concept. Sounds like mage stuff."

"Haha, yes. I admit it's really complicated. Fortunately, you don't need to fully understand it to use it." He said.

They arrived at the training ground. Kenneth summoned spirit spheres and entered fury state.

"Do it too."

Verica did as she was told.

"Alright. Let's do this."

* * *

><p>The rest of the day, Verica and Kenneth trained. Well, Verica trained at least, while Kenneth almost slept under a tree.<p>

She was not able to use snap. Not yet. But Kenneth warned her that it would take a while. Probably many weeks.

She looked up at the skies as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. It was almost time for her date with Alek.

Well, not her date but...ah, anyway. It wasn't important.

If she left now she would be there too early. But she preferred it like that. She hated to be late and make people wait. It happened too often with Kenneth. She walked to her sensei and crouched beside him.

"Sensei?"

"Yes?" he said, his eyes still closed.

"I'm going to go now."

"Hm, time for your date eh?"

"It's not...arg! Nevermind!" She said as she got up angrily and walked away as she heard Kenneth chuckled behind her.

The moment she disappeared from his sight, Kenneth got up. He hid his presence and followed her quietly.

When she left the abbey and ventured into the forest, Kenneth stayed at the gate. He leaned on the outer wall and waited. Waited for a young brown-haired boy to cross his path. He had a few words to tell him.

* * *

><p>Protective sensei is protective behind his student's back lol. I'm happy to finally write about how Verica finds that her teacher is the sexiest thing in the world, lol. I have images in my head. I hope you have too.<p> 


	16. 4:Realization

Important chapter ahead.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16 Realization <strong>

Alek smiled to himself as he walked toward the gate that led to the forest. He was happy that Verica accepted. He liked being with her. She was so nice. She cared for what you had to say and he felt like he could tell her anything.

He finally arrived at the gate. His thoughts were interrupted just outside the Abbey when he came face to face with Kenneth. He stopped and took a step back in surprise.

"Ah, Kenneth?"

"Good evening Alek." He said with a smile.

"Hm...is there something I can do for you?"

"You're going to see Verica?" Kenneth asked.

"Y-yes. Are you here to tell me she won't come?" Alek replied, getting suspicious.

"No no. In fact, she's already there."

"Ah. In that case I shouldn't make her wait." Alek said as he took a step to the left to walk around Kenneth, but the champion blocked his path again.

"I'm sure she won't mind if you are a few minutes late."

Alek stared at him and waited for an explanation.

"Since when do you know her?" Kenneth asked.

"We met when I arrived here a year ago. But we really talked more just a week ago."

"You became quite close in only a week."

"Sometimes you don't need much time to know if you'll get along with someone." The boy said.

"Yes. I suppose you're right. I remember you saying that you found the priest life too strict. Didn't you?"

"Hum, yes. I said that."

"What did you mean?"

Alek glared at the man as he started to get irritate.

"What are you trying to make me say?"

"I just asked a question."

"Yeah, well, I don't like your question, I don't like what you're insinuating, and I don't have to answer. Now if you'll excuse me." He said as he took a step to the side again.

Kenneth stretched his arm in front of Alek to block his path, his hand collapsing with the wall of the abbey with a loud sound of cracking rock. The boy stopped immediately and looked up at Kenneth just in time to see him grab his throat with his other hand and push him on the wall. He closed the distance between them, his face an inch away from the boy's.

"It's disrespectful to talk to your elders like that." Kenneth replied with one of those warm smiles of his.

"W-what do you want?" The boy stuttered in fear.

"Are you a good man, Alek?"

"I-I...I don't know-"

"Wrong answer. Try again."

"...Yes...yes, I'm a good man."

"Are you respectful?

"Y-yes!"

"And are you a gentleman?"

"O-of course sir!"

"I believe you." Kenneth said as he let go of the boy. "So, if all you say is true, I shouldn't have to worry about letting you go see Verica. Isn't it?"

"N-no sir. I assure you! I-I have no bad intentions toward her. I promise!" Alek quickly replied.

"You're a good boy Alek." Kenneth said as he ruffled his hair, his smile still in place. "I'm going to trust you. Alright?"

"Y-yes..." Alek said as he was about to walk away, but Kenneth pushed forcefully on his chest to keep him where he was.

"But let me get things straight." Kenneth continued as his smile faded and his brow furrowed. He glared at Alek and whispered. "If I learn of anything about you and her that doesn't please me, I'm going to put you through so much pain that you're going to wish you were in hell. Because hell itself is nothing compared to how I'll make you suffer. Am I being clear or do you want me to repeat for your little kid's brain?"

"N-no sir. It's very clear." Alek replied, panting and avoiding Kenneth's gaze.

"Then you and I shouldn't have any problem getting along, don't you think." Kenneth said as he straightened up and took a step back.

"Yes sir..."

"Excellent."

Kenneth passed the door of the abbey and walked away without adding anything else.

Alek stayed there a second before slowly sliding down the wall. He took deep breaths as he tried to calm his heart. What was that all about?

Was Verica's teacher so paranoid? Did he do this to all boys who spent time with her? This was a bit exaggerated. He had no bad intention toward her anyway! It's not like he was going to push her against a tree and have his way with her! What kind of perverted man was Kenneth to think he would do such a thing!

He slowly pushed away his thought as he got up and started to walk again. Kenneth was probably just very protective. Maybe too much. Alek wondered if Verica was aware of it. He noticed how nervous she looked earlier today when Kenneth came to see her at the ocean. Maybe she knew he would react like this.

No, it was more than that. She almost looked ashamed. Like a kid who did something wrong and gets caught. He didn't understand why. Her relationship with Kenneth looked a little bit complicated anyway. His own relationship with his teacher was not like that, but his teacher was a woman. She probably felt less protective. Kenneth was a man. He instinctively wanted to protect women, he supposed. Verica was probably like a daughter to him. Knowing all this, his reaction was probably natural.

He decided not to take it personally. Actually, he decided to ignore it. He had nothing to blame himself for. It's true that Verica was a very interesting girl. If she was to ever show any interest in him, he would be more than happy to have something with her, but there was no way he was going to force things.

* * *

><p>Kenneth walked in the direction of the sanctuary with a smile on his face. He had absolutely no shame about what he just did. He was simply taking precautions to protect his student. She would kill him is she knew, but it's not like the boy was going to tell her. Kenneth was not known to be a raging man, but surely he looked threatening enough to a rookie.<p>

Wasn't he just the best sensei in the world, taking care of his student like that?

After a few minutes of walk, he arrived at the sanctuary and noticed that everyone was gathered there.

"What's going on?" He asked to the first person he saw.

"The head-master asked us all to come here. Apparently she has something to tell us." The monk said.

Kenneth ventured deeper into the sanctuary as he wondered what Yolene might want to say. This was a rare sight. Every monk and champion of the abbey together here, it was kind of worrying. He hoped it was nothing bad.

He finally spotted Mathias sitting at a table. He was eating a bowl of soup. Merril, Alek's teacher, was with him. He approached them and listened to their conversation.

"You want me to crush your skull with my hands or what?" Merril said, obviously exasperated. What was she talking about?

"Calm down Merril" Mathias replied.

"Then stop staring at my breasts! You're not subtle, you know."

"You should take it as a compliment."

"Pff, stupid old man."

Mathias laughed as he brought his spoon of soup to his lips. "Old, yes. Stupid, probably. I can't argue with you on that. I don't have any good arguments to prove you wrong. I'll accept my fate."

"Kss, are you drunk again Mathias?" Merril asked with a raised brow.

"Of course not. Drinking in excess is a sin. I would never dare to insult our good Lord in such a way."

"...I don't know what to believe about you anymore Mathias. Your blasphemy is insulting, yet I can't imagine you any other way. I can only pray that God will forgive you. You can't blame a fool for simply being a fool I guess." She said with a smile as she looked at him eating his soup.

"Yes, I'm a fool. So you can't blame me for looking at your breast. I'm not aware of what I'm doing-"

"Don't push your luck!"

"Hehe. Ow!" Mathias whined when he felt a fist collapsing with his head. He looked up to see an irritated Kenneth.

"Stop ogling women you old fool!" Kenneth yelled as Merril laughed.

"Ahh, you can't ask me such a thing. Do I ask you to stop looking at sunsets? No, because sunsets are beautiful to watch. It's the same!"

"I don't know if I should be insulted or feel complimented." Merril said, still laughing.

"Gah, anyway. Do you know why the head master wants us all here?" Kenneth asked as he abandoned the subject and sat beside his sensei. There was no point in trying to show Mathias how inappropriate his behavior was. He was too old to change now.

"Hell if I know boy. But I guess it's no good news. Yolene doesn't just summon everyone here just to see our face. Whatever happened must be important."

"I hope no one died." Merril said.

Kenneth stared at Merril with a worried look. Then he heard someone say "Your attention everyone!". And so everyone stopped talking.

He turned around and saw the head master standing on a table at the far end of the room. The four members of the council were beside her. This didn't look good.

"I'm sorry for calling all of you here. Maybe some of us are missing but it doesn't matter. Make sure to pass the word to those who aren't here." Yolene started.

Kenneth wished she would just end the suspense and tell them what was going on.

"Now, what I'm going to say may not matter to some of you, but it's important nonetheless." She continued. After a long pause, like she didn't quite know how to say what she had to say, she finally told the news. "The pope...has passed away."

Everyone gasped, either in horror or in surprise. Kenneth was no exception.

"Well, this is unfortunate." Mathias said in a low tone.

"Don't act like you care." Kenneth told him.

"Whether I care or not doesn't mean I won't respect his death." Mathias replied. "In any case, this was unexpected. I thought the pope was in rather good shape."

"Yeah, but he was old. You never know when your time will come." Merril remarked.

Kenneth looked back the head master who was waiting for everyone to stop talking. After many minutes of chat among the monks, she finally continued.

"We all know that the pope never carried us in his heart. But this is no reason to be disrespectful. So let us observe a minute's silence in honor of our departed brother."

Kenneth bowed his head and closed his eyes like everyone else. After a long minute, Yolene spoke again.

"The next pope as already been appointed. Now...this might be an even greater surprise."

Kenneth sighed. Why was she making them wait like this?

"Maybe this is a sign that the Catholic Church is finally giving up on their archaic and discriminating traditions. That, or they simply completely lost their minds-"

Touha coughed loudly beside the head master. She looked at her with a stare that obviously meant "Get on with it." Yolene cleared her throat before resuming.

"Yes, well, what I mean to say is that the new pope is a woman."

Everyone gasped again. "What!" and "No way!" could be heard among the crowd.

"And she's 12 years old..." Yolene continued.

"This is impossible!" Kenneth said.

"Surprising, yes. But not impossible." Mathias commented.

"Are you kidding? Not so long ago, women couldn't even become priests! For the Catholic Church to name a woman, no, a girl as pope! Excuse me but I find it really hard to believe!"

"Maybe they are starting to realize that their old laws and customs are inappropriate." Mathias replied

"But she's too young. I find it very suspicious." Kenneth commented.

"Yes. I agree on that. Someone is pulling the strings behind that poor kid, obviously. Things are really starting to get interesting." Mathias said with a smile.

Kenneth looked back at the head master.

"From what I heard, God spoke to her-" Yolene started.

"What? This is ridiculous! God doesn't speak with humans!" A monk said.

" -and appointed her pope himself."

"This is impossible! How can you even believe that?!" Another monk yelled.

"The arch bishops of Rachel interpreted it as a message from God." Yolene continued, ignoring the monk's comment.

"A message from God? What the hell is that supposed to mean? She's just a kid!" Another monk spitted.

"Well, it was not very clear but they said something about her purity. Something to do with God wanting to show us that innocence and obedience were his wishes for us, like a child with his father. To remind us that we were all his children, just like this girl." She explained, rolling her eyes at what she was saying. Obviously, she didn't believe it.

"But she's just a child!"

"She can't govern the Catholic Church by herself!"

"Or Arunafeltz State! This is nonsense!"

"This is blasphemy!"

Everyone talked at the same time. It was a complete chaos in the sanctuary. Kenneth sighed as he felt his sensei move beside him.

Mathias got up and started to walk toward the dormitory.

"What are you doing?" Kenneth asked.

"I'll check the book again. I might understand new elements of the prophecy with this new information."

"What is he talking about?" Merril said.

"Nothing important." Kenneth lied.

"Hm, right. Anyway. I'll be going. All those people talking at the same time are giving me a headache."

"You don't seem to care much about this new 'pope'". Kenneth remarked.

"I've never really cared for the pope, honestly. Whether it's a grown up man or a kid, it doesn't change anything. The pope has never been the one with the power. The arc bishops control the church, it has always been like this. The pope is just a symbol. It doesn't matter who it is."

"Still, I don't think the priests of Rune Midgard will appreciate this new pope and recognize his...her authority."

"If the church can make them believe that God himself appointed her pope, they may accept it more easily than you think." She said with a sigh. "Anyway, see you later Kenneth."

"Yeah..."

Merril left Kenneth alone with his thoughts. In all honesty, he didn't know what to think. A little girl as pope...he never thought he would live to see this.

* * *

><p>"Sorry I made you wait" Alek said when he arrived at the rendezvous point with Verica.<p>

She turned her head to look at him. She was sitting on the ground, her feet in the water. She smiled warmly at him.

"It's no trouble. I had the sunset to entertain me." She said.

Alek walked to her and sat at her side. He removed his shoes and put his feet in the water as well.

"Yeah, I love sunset. It's really beautiful."

"It is. But I prefer sunrise."

"Why?"

"It's like a symbol of renewal. The coming of a new day and that everything can change."

"You speak like an old woman." Alek said as he chuckled.

"..Say what?!" Verica snapped.

"Ah, I didn't mean it in a bad way!" Alek defended himself. "It's just that you speak like a wise old woman. You know, like you're more mature than your age."

She laughed awkwardly "Oh, well, thank you, I guess."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you." he said with a smile. "I often speak without thinking. I often act without thinking too. I'm really sorry."

"It's alright," She replied.

They stayed like this for a long moment. They talked about trivial stuff. All along, Alek couldn't help but think about Kenneth. Maybe he should tell her what happened? But if Kenneth knew he had told her, who knows what he could do to him? And he was pretty sure Verica wouldn't be please to know what he did. But, somehow, he felt the need to tell her.

"I, hum..."

"Yes?"

"I-I saw your teacher while I was coming here." He said, hesitantly.

"Oh, really?" She replied.

"Yeah... He waited for me at the gate. When I arrived, he kinda pushed me against the wall and threatened me." Alek said with a very sheepish expression.

"He what?!" Verica yelled.

"Yeah, haha. He told me that if I was to do anything improper to you, he would basically transform my life into living hell." Alek said with a nervous smile as he scratched the back of his head.

"Oh my God, I can't believe he did this! I'm going to kill him!" She yelled, clenching her fist in front of her. "I'm so sorry" Verica apologized as she looked back at him.

"It's nothing. He wants to protect you. I understand. I don't take it personally. But...please don't tell him that I told you" He said with a slightly worried look.

Verica cursed under her breath, while mentally, she rejoiced. Kenneth did care after all. She would have found it strange otherwise. It made her really happy somehow and couldn't help but smile. She loved the idea of an overprotective sensei. It felt reassuring.

She smiled at the image of a threatening Kenneth pushing poor little Alek against the wall. It was wrong to find it funny, but she couldn't help it. Kenneth was everything but a raging man. He would never do anything to a brother. But that, Alek didn't know.

"Why are you smiling? Are you laughing at me?"Alek said as he noticed her smile.

"What? No. Why would I laugh at you?"

"I don't know. Because I got bullied by your teacher, maybe."

"Well, I have to admit it's a funny picture." Verica said as she giggled. "For me, Kenneth being threatening is not something I'm used to. He's rarely angry."

"Yeah, well, believe me when I say you don't want his intimidating look on you." Alek replied with a sigh.

"I know. He gave it to me a few times. I never like it and he knows it. He always feels bad afterwards and apologizes." Verica remarked with a bright smile. "Except when I'm as much angry as he his...which is often. Usually, when Kenneth is angry, it's my fault and I deserve his anger." She said as she chuckled.

"You seem to have a strange relationship with your teacher. I mean...he's very protective towards you."

"Ah, yes, I suppose he is. He's like that, that's all." She said, her smile widening. She looked forward, but it was like she was looking at something that only she could see. "He hasn't been a very lucky man in the past, to use his words. He lost important people and he never really had a family. I think...I think that's what he sees in me.

"A family?"

"Yes. He never knew his father and I never knew my parents either. We...we both found something important in each other I guess." She said, still looking into space. Her smile was so genuine...

"I see. I understand why he's so protective then."

"Yes." Verica replied with a small laugh. "He...he thinks you're interested in me."

Alek turned his head around to look at her with surprise. She returned his gaze with a smile. "I told him we were just friend, but he wouldn't have any of it."

"I, well." Alek laughed nervously for a moment. "I surely wouldn't say no..." he whispered to himself. "I have no bad intentions towards you. That's what I told him!" He finally said.

"I know." She quickly said. "But it's not just that. The thing is that Kenneth doesn't have a very positive view of love and everything revolving around it. He says it gets in the way of inner peace. That's it's hard for a monk to have a real relationship without losing his love for God, stuff like that. But..."

She thought about what he told her earlier today. That it was okay if she had something with Alek. Was he lying, or did he really mean it? Maybe he wished for her to know the kind of happiness he knew with Julian. Maybe somehow he still wanted to believe it was possible. "I think the truth is that he would like to believe."

"Believe in love?"

"Yes. I think...I think he's so wrapped in his old sadness that he can't see anything else, even if he hides it well. I think he would like to believe it's still possible to be in love, but he just can't, because of what happened to him. I don't think this man will ever be able to love again..." She continued as she looked at her laps.

Alek stared at her for a long moment. Her eyes looked sad, but hopeful at the same time. She really cared about Kenneth. For more than a teacher obviously.

"It's a shame really." She said, not really talking to Alek anymore. She was just thinking out loud. "He's such a great person. He's the kindest of men and he cares so much for the people around him. He would die for me, without hesitation. He has already proved it. But...it's more than that. He simply knows how to make you feel safe. He doesn't even need to say anything. He just has to look at you and smile and...you know nothing can happen to you..."

Alek listened to her, a little confused. Was she still talking about her teacher?

"Then, out of nowhere, he hugs you. Just at the right moment. When you need it. And it's like..." She paused, like she was trying to put words on her feelings but couldn't. "It's like a fire burning under your skin. Your world shrinks. There is nothing else around you except him and his warm smile...and his peculiar presence that feels like static running in your vein. It's maddening and exhilarating...and before you know it, you became addicted to it. To him. To everything he is..."

Alek's smile faded away in an instant. Her smile was so beautiful at that moment. When she spoke of him like that...

It was then that he understood. Of course. How could he be so blind? He smiled again as he looked at the ocean.

"I see."

She remained silent for a long moment, lost in her thoughts, smiling. After what seemed like a eternity, Alek finally looked at her with a sad smile.

"You love him, don't you?"

"Eh?" Verica turned her head toward him, pulled out of her reverie.

"Your teacher." He clarified. "You love him."

"...Well, yes. Of course."

"No. I mean, you really love him. As in...more than a teacher. As in-"

"What?!" Her eyes widen in shock.

"It's ok. I won't tell anyone." Alek said with a smile.

"It's nothing like that!" Verica defended herself as she smiled at how ridiculous this was.

"I noticed how you looked at him earlier today. And the way you spoke of him just now. You have feelings for him, it's obvious."

"N-no, it's not what you think. It's just..." She searched for the right word to say as she played with her hands. "I have a lot of admiration for him and...well it's true that he's rather good looking." she said, blushing as images of him came to her mind. "But I'm not in love with him..."

"You don't need to justify yourself to me." he said.

"He's my teacher! And he's 11 years older than me! How can you even suggest it?"

"Love doesn't know age difference. Nor does it know rank and status." Alek replied, his smile still in place.

Verica looked away from him. He didn't believe her. She wished she could make him understand. It was simply...a temporary obsession.

Right?

"Alek, I assure you, I'm not in love with Kenneth." She said as she tried to reassure herself in the process.

"Yes. You are Verica. You just don't want to admit it. You're trying to convince yourself that it's just a physical attraction. But even I can tell that it's much more than that."

Verica gave him an irritated look. "You think you know better than me? What makes you so sure anyway?"

"It's the way your eyes shine when you talk about him." He started. "The way your whole body tense when he looks at you. The fact that you have the most beautiful smile when you think about him and your expression when you look at him while he's not looking."

Verica stared at Alek for a long moment in silence. Then she looked at the ocean. The sun was barely visible anymore. She didn't know what else to say. She just felt like crying and she didn't understand why. She hated to feel like that.

"I'm sorry." Alek said as his smile disappeared. "I didn't mean to confuse you or anything. I'm just telling you what I saw...what I see, from my point of view."

She was still staring at the ocean, her tears threatening to flow any moment. Why did he have to say that? She was confused enough as it is.

"You should accept your feeling instead of denying them, you know. You'll feel lighter..."

"I-It's just...a weird reactions to hormones." She started, still trying to explain and convince herself. She turned around to look at Alek. "I spent many years with him. It's natural that I feel attracted to him."

Alek smiled sadly at her as he listened.

"But it's just...a fantasy. Something...that will never happen. I-it will go away with time so-"

She was interrupted by warm and soft lips on hers. Her eyes widen in shock as she brought her hands to his shoulder. She felt Alek's hand on her cheeks. She closed her eyes and simply followed his lead as she got lost in this new sensation.

It was chaste. Gentle. She barely felt any pressure on her lips. Just a tingle, and the warmth of his own lips. Heat quickly rose to her cheeks. It was thrilling, exciting, everything a kiss was supposed to feel if she believed what Ami used to tell her at the church. Yet, something felt terribly wrong. It's not that she wasn't enjoying it! It simply felt ...unnatural.

After a few second, he pulled away. She looked up at him with a hooded gaze, full of questions. He gave her a sheepish and apologetic smile.

"I didn't think before acting again...I'm sorry."

Verica didn't reply. She simply stayed there, fingers touching her lips in confusion.

"But...that didn't feel quite right, isn't it?" He asked as he removed his hand from his cheek.

She didn't understand his question at first. Then she slowly nodded. It felt...wrong. There was no other word to describe it.

"I'm sure it would be different if Kenneth did it." He said with a warm smile.

She looked at him, eyes wide and lips parted.

"I believe my point is clear now, no?"

Verica looked down. Millions of thoughts ran through her head as she understood.

This didn't feel right, because something was missing. A feeling that was supposed to be there but wasn't. A sensation only Kenneth was able to give her, simply by touching her.

No matter how good looking Alek was, he was not Kenneth. She had fantasized so much about it; a kiss with Kenneth. She had no idea what it was supposed to feel like, but somehow she knew it wouldn't feel like this. What she felt for Kenneth was more than physical attraction. It was more than just a fantasy...

'Oh God...'

"I'm sorry. I hope you're not angry at me..."

"No." She said, still looking at her laps. "I'm not angry. I...sometimes, I need to learn things the hard way."

She looked at Alek and forced herself to smile. "I...I think I need some time alone." She said as she slowly got up.

"I'm sorry Verica. "He said, following her with a worried look. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright Alek. You're right...about everything. I'm sorry that you have to see me like this."

"...Are we still friend?"

"Of course." She said with a real smile this time.

"W-will you be alright? You look...wasted."

"Yes. I'm ok. But-" She looked at the dark forest. The sun was completely down now. She was not very at ease with the idea of traveling alone in the forest at night. "Could you bring me back to the Abbey?" She asked.

"You didn't need to ask." He said as he pushed a little on her back to make her walk.

The walk to the Abbey was silent, but not awkward. Everything that had to be said had been said. Things were not clear yet but...

Denial was over.

* * *

><p>Kenneth was meditating at the southern cliff when he felt a familiar presence approach him. He smiled to himself as he greeted Verica.<p>

"How did it go?" He said, his eyes still closed.

"It was...fun." Verica lied. She walked up to him and sat to his side. He remained immobile.

"Hm. So, when is the wedding?" He teased.

"It's nothing like that sensei. Alek and I are just friend and it's going to stay that way." She said with a smile, looking forward.

Kenneth opened his eyes and stared down at her.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes."

"Nothing happened I hope."

"Don't worry sensei. Nothing happened." She repeated.

"...Alright." He said as he closed his eyes and smiled. In all honesty, he was happy. He couldn't quite explain it to himself, but the idea of Verica going out with Alek, or with anyone else, felt very peculiar and made him uneasy. If he was lucky, she would remain single all her life. It was very selfish, but Kenneth was a very selfish man when it came to people he cared for.

Verica subtly moved closer to him, her arms grazing his. She smiled as she enjoyed his proximity.

"Aren't you sleepy?" Kenneth asked.

"Not really."

"Hm, you want to train maybe?"

"...No, why?"

"I don't know. You came here. I supposed you wanted something from me." Kenneth said with a raised brow.

"No. I just..." She paused. "I just wanted to be with you." She replied, honestly.

Kenneth looked at her in confusion, but she didn't return his gaze. She kept looking in front of her, her cheeks blushing.

"Anyway" She started. "I know you won't want to train again as long as the weather won't change."

"You're right about that. "He said as he laughed and closed his eyes again. "But the sun is down now. It's more bearable."

Verica stared at his chest. Indeed, he looked more comfortable. Not covered in sweat like earlier today.

'Stop staring like that...' She told herself as she looked away shyly.

"I remember you telling me that you lived in Morroc during a year after...well, after Julian died." Verica said, hesitantly. Talking about Julian was never a good idea, even when Kenneth was particularly joyful.

"It's true." He replied, not really reacting to Julian's name.

"How did you survive? I mean, it's in the middle of a desert!"

"Yeah, well..." He opened his eyes and looked up at the tree branches above him. "...back then I thought of it as a punishment."

Verica stared at him in confusion. What did he meant? A punishment for what? Then, as if he had read her mind, he continued.

"For letting her die..."

"Oh...I'm sorry I-"

"It's ok. Now I'm able to see that it was out of my control." he said as he looked back at his student. "Sickness is a sad way to die because there is simply nothing you can do against it." Then he smiled and shrugged. "But at least I stayed with her until the end. I like to think it made her last moments more enjoyable."

"Yes. I'm sure it did." Verica replied sincerely as she smiled back tenderly.

He looked away from her, still smiling. He just stared into space, like he often do when he was wrapped in his memories. When he remembered of a time that, according to her, was probably simpler and happier than this one.

She knew this man so well, yet knew so little about his past. But when she saw how he acted just by remembering it, she understood why he never talked about it. If those days weren't too painful to think about, then they were too blissful and they simply ended up being missed, which leaded to pain anyway.

Verica smiled softly as she leaned her head on his shoulder. She did it, just like that, without really thinking about it. There was no point in denying her feelings anymore. She loved being with him, she loved being close to him, she loved to touch him...she loved him.

It was useless to try to rationalize it. Sometimes, the simplest explanation was the right one. As she felt the heat rise to her cheeks again, like a fire was burning behind her face, she knew she could never get rid of this sensation. It was so clear now. She loved him...

More than a student should love her teacher...

But who could blame her, when Kenneth was just the most adorable and kind man on earth?

She knew it would never be reciprocal. She was a kid to his eyes. Beside, it would be highly inappropriate. What would people think? A teacher and his student, in love? She could already see Moohae storming into Yolene-sama's office yelling "this is unacceptable!". But the taboo of her situation wouldn't make her feelings go away.

At least she could comfort herself in the fact that Kenneth loved Julian, and that he would probably never loved anyone else like he loved her. Carly was a good example of that. He would never love her the way she wanted, but he would never love anyone else either. If she couldn't, no one could. Somehow she felt it was fair. Selfish? Maybe, but she couldn't care less at the moment.

All she cared about right now was to enjoy his presence to the fullest for as long as she could, even if it hurt her in the end.

"Love is always worth it." Like Mathias said.

She understood now.

She closed her eyes and smiled, breathing in Kenneth's scent. He smelled like pine...like the forest after a heavy rain. It was oddly reassuring. Mixed with his presence, this electricity grazing her skin, it formed an intoxicating sensation. A sensation she was more than used to feel. A sensation she would never get tired of feeling.

Kenneth looked down at her in surprise. What's with her now? She acted strangely. But when he saw her face, he ignored his thoughts. She looked so happy...so peaceful. Was his shoulder that comfortable?

He laughed to himself and closed his eyes to resume his meditation. If she was happy, then he was happy too. He didn't need to know why.

* * *

><p>Thank you very much for reading :)<p> 


	17. 5:Old friend's return

There you go. This chapter is shorter than the previous ones. More like the first ones I wrote. But Chapter 18 will be coming really soon so it's equivalent :P

Takes place 1 year after chapter 16.

Thank you :)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 17 Old friend's return<strong>

"...It's too hard sensei." Verica said to her teacher.

"It's you who's making it hard girl, just relax and it will be ok." Kenneth replied with an encouraging smile.

"Easy for you to say, you've done it so many times."

"I rarely do it you know."

"You still have more experience than I have."

"You're never going to have experience if you never at least try it. There's a first time for everything."

"I told you it was too hard." Verica repeated.

"Stop whining and just do it!" Kenneth said, getting impatient.

Verica sighed heavily "Could you show me again?"

"Hey, I'm not a machine. Let me catch my breath will you? I'm not as young as I used to be..."

"Pff! Stop saying that sensei, you're only what? 33 years old?"

"35...thank you for reminding me." Kenneth replied, his mouth turning into a very uncharismatic and childish pout.

"You're not old sensei" Verica said, sincerely.

"Coming from the 24 years old girl, I don't know whether I should be insulted or feel complimented."

"You can be such a baby some time."

"Me? Baby? Watch your mouth girl. Who keeps complaining that it's too hard?"

"...I'm not complaining."

"Yes, you are. Just try it for God's sake, before your fury ends."

Verica sighed again and looked back at the tree in front of her. She summoned five spirit spheres and looked at her hand. She concentrated as she closed her eyes. She visualised her spiritual energy flowing inside her, but instead of molding it into a sphere, she tried to concentrate it all in her hands.

Kenneth watched her from his sitting position under a tree, a warm smile on his lips and a hint of pride in his eyes.

Verica opened her eyes when black smoke began to come out of her hand. Her hand shook from the pressure building up around it. It hurt, but she suppressed the need to gasp in pain. When she saw the white light, she looked at the tree and and threw her fist forward.

Her punch touched the tree with a loud thud. The white light blinded Kenneth for a moment. He waited until the black smoke disappeared before getting up.

The tree was still standing...but a large crack ran along its trunk.

Verica looked at the tree, panting heavily and exhausted. She was not used to have her entire spiritual energy drained out like this. She tried to stay on her feet, but her head spun to much. She put one knee to the ground.

"Are you alright?" Kenneth asked, crouching beside her. He put his hand on her back.

"Yes...I just feel dizzy." She replied, rubbing her forehead with her hand.

"Your energy will come back and you'll feel better. Just stay where you are for the moment." Kenneth said. He looked up at the tree. "In any case, that was not bad at all."

"I barely scratched it..." Verica remarked, clearly disappointed in herself.

"You just need some training. Now you know how to do it, that's all that matters."

"So basically I don't need your help anymore?" She teased him.

"If you don't want me around, just say it directly!" He said playing her game.

"Of course not..." she said with a secretive smile.

"Yeah, I thought so." He replied, ruffling her hair, much to her exasperation. Every time he did that, she had to undo her ponytail and do it again. It irritated her to no end. "Although, I have to admit that I don't have anything left to teach you. You barely need my help anymore. I'm afraid your time as a monk is almost over. Soon, you'll have to leave for Juno." He said with a sad smile.

"Don't give me that look sensei, please."

"What look?"

"That sad look. You know I'm not going to leave soon. I still need you." She said with a smile.

Kenneth looked at her with a raised brow for a moment before she talked again.

"I mean...I still need you to train me, you know, as in-"

"Haha, I understood Verica. I'm just teasing you." Kenneth chuckled.

Verica blushed and looked away. Sometime she thought he was doing it on purpose. Like he knew her feelings. "We should go back to the abbey..."

"Yeah, you're right."

Then they heard a cracking noise. They both turned toward the tree.

"What was that noise?" Verica asked.

"I don't know" Kenneth replied as he walked behind the tree.

He looked at it closely as he continued to hear the noise. He touched the trunk delicately and a loud crack reverberated in the entire forest. The tree snapped suddenly. Kenneth took a step back as the tree started to fall.

"Watch out!"

Verica tried to get up, but she fell right back on the ground. She didn't have the time to try a second time. She got out of the way the best she could, but the tree fell on her ankle. Kenneth rushed to her side. He pushed the tree to free her leg.

"Are you ok?" He asked as he crouched beside her.

"Yes...ow!" She whined when Kenneth touched her ankle. "It hurts when you touch it."

"Yeah, I noticed." He continued to touch it anyway. He examined it carefully before he started healing it.

"It's nothing. I may not be as good of a healer as you, but I think I can handle that." He said with a small laugh.

"I can do it"

"No you can't. Remember: asura stike drains your spiritual energy." Kenneth replied as a pale green light glowed around his hands and her ankle.

Verica watched his hands on her leg. Kenneth was indeed not a very experienced healer. He didn't even need to touch her to heal her, but he always did. She'd never said anything. She liked it when he touched her gently like that. The material of his glove felt rough against her skin but the way he touched her with so much care sent shivers down her spine every time.

It had always been like this. Since the beginning, when he first held her hands to help her meditates, she'd liked it. Every time he healed her, she liked it. Every time he took her bridal style to take her back to the sanctuary because he thought she'd fainted, she loved it. Most of the time, she was well awake...

"There you go girl" Kenneth said as he removed his hands and got up, oblivious to his student's thoughts.

"...Thank you" Verica replied as she slowly got up on wobbly feet. She leanned on her sensei's shoulder for a moment.

Kenneth looked at the tree "Well, seems like your asura stike is better than it seems. You literally killed that tree from the inside!"

"Yeah, not so bad after all" She said with a smile.

"Come on now, let's go back to the Abbey. Can you walk?" Kenneth asked.

"Yes, I'm fine."

Kenneth started to walk away and Verica followed behind him, but finally she decided to walk beside him. When she was behind, she was too distracted. She had often tripped over her own foot because she was too busy looking at her teacher's rear... it shamed her to no end.

But it was like an automatism. She didn't even realize when she did it until it was too late. Fortunately, Kenneth never realized it...or he just never said anything. She really hoped he just wasn't aware of it.

The last year had been like a slow but enjoyable torture. Her love for her teacher had only grown stronger with each passing day, if that was even possible. It hurt her to be so close to him, yet not being able to be as close as she would like to. Maybe she was masochist to a certain degree, but what else was she supposed to do? He was her sensei. She was bound to him, whether she liked it or not. And even if she had the possibility to be away from him, she wouldn't be happier. It would hurt her as much, maybe even more, to be far from him.

She never talked about it. To anyone. It was her little secret and she was doing well to keep it. Of course, Alek knew. He was the one who helped her realize her feelings. But he had told no one. He understood how taboo it was. Not to mention that her relationship with Kenneth would drastically change if he was to know the truth.

But what really amazed her was that Kenneth was completely oblivious. More than once, inappropriate words slipped her tongue. Things about how she loved his smile or how cute he was when he was embarrassed. He always took it as a joke. Every time she pressed herself unnecessarily against him during training session or stared at him like a young teenager boy looks at an exotic gypsy, he never noticed. At first she had doubts. She was sure that he knew and was simply ignoring her not to crush her heart. But after a while, she realized that he was simply that dense.

They finally arrived at the Abbey. Verica continued to walk, lost in her thoughts. She didn't realized Kenneth was talking to her.

"Hey! Girl!"

"What?! I'm sorry sensei. I was...lost in my thoughts." she said as she quickly turned to him.

"Well, it's not like I am not used to it now am I?" He said with a laugh.

"I'm sorry..." she replied with a sheepish smile.

"I just said that it was enough training for today. You have the rest of the day off."

"Ok..."

"Hey! Kenneth!" Bashu yelled, running towatd the two monk.

"Hi Bashu. What's wrong?"

"Ah nothing. I just wanted to tell you that Carly came back this morning while you were away!"

"What? Really?"

"Yeah! She's with the head-master. You should go see her, I'm sure she'll be pleased to see you again."

"Thanks Bashu" Kenneth said to the man as he turned back and left. "Well, I'll be going. Make good use of the rest of the day girl" He said as he patted her on the head again.

"Yes sensei. Say hello to Carly for me."

"I will." He replied as he left.

Verica stayed behind a moment. Carly was back after 8 years. The first thought that came to her mind was to wonder if she was still madly in love with Kenneth. She hoped not...

Not that she was jealous or anything like that. She just knew that Kenneth would never be in love again and she would find it really sad if Carly kept running after him.

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><p>Kenneth arrived at the abbey and walked to the head master's office. The door was opened and he saw Carly, back to him, in her champion suit. It was an odd sight. He knocked on the door frame.<p>

"Ah, Kenneth." The head master said with a smile. "Look who just came back!"

Carly turned around and looked at Kenneth. He was shocked at how much she'd changed. Now at the age of 33, she looked much different. She had small crow's feet, like himself, unfortunately. She looked mature and experienced, not frivolous and featherbrained like she used to. But really, it suited her. She seemed full of confidence and it really made her more beautiful than she ever was.

"Kenneth."

"Carly! I'm glad to see you again." He said, his bright smile proof of what he was saying.

"Me too." She replied with a strange smile. But Kenneth didn't pay much attention to it.

"Alright Carly. You can go. Congratulations." The head master said, gesturing her that she could leave.

"Thank you master." She said as she bowed before leaving.

She closed the office's door behind her and turned toward Kenneth.

"It's been a long time Kenneth."

"Yes, too long." He said

"How's your student?"

"She's doing fine. Almost doesn't need my help anymore."

"I'm glad to hear it. I liked her."

"Well, tell me! How was your journey?"

"It was wonderful. I saw so many things and met so many great people. it was really fabulous." She replied with a bright smile.

"What about your companions?"

"We parted in Geffen. I was happy with them, but I'm glad to be back. I missed the Abbey."

"I'm glad you're back too, Carly" Kenneth said as he put his hand on her shoulder with a smile.

"Thank you. I'll go for a walk around St-Capitolina. See what has changed. Wanna come with me?"

"Sure"

They left the abbey and walked around a little. Kenneth was really happy to see her again, but she was so different. She was more serious. It was like nothing in the world would make her laugh genuinely. And that secretive smile she had...something was wrong.

"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked her.

"Yes, why?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's just because you're a champion now. You just...feel different"

"It's been many years Kenneth. People change, it's normal."

"I suppose"

"You changed too. You look...lighter"

"Hm, yeah. I suppose I got a few things off my shoulder." he said as he looked at his wrist.

"That's a good thing." She replied, smiling widely at him.

They arrived at the cliff to the south and Carly stopped at the edge. She looked at the horizon and sighed.

"Something's wrong?" Kenneth asked.

"No, it's nothing" she said, still smiling. That smile...it was really disturbing.

"You know..." Carly said as she turned back to Kenneth "I wanted to thank you."

"For what?"

"For rejecting me"

Kenneth stared a her for a moment, like the time had stopped. Then he blinked "...Pardon?"

"Don't get me wrong. I hated you for a time. But I realized it was for the best. I had to concentrate on my inner peace. If you hadn't pushed me, I never would have left like this to become a champion. Now that I look at it, it was a good thing."

Kenneth kept staring at her like she had just announce her decision to abandon the monk's life to become a dancer. Eventually he coughed and processed the information before speaking.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to tell you Carly. It was not my intention to hurt you, but you already know that. Although I'm glad to see you took it well and that you understood." He said, rubbing the nape of his neck with his hand, a little uncomfortable. "You seem happy. So, if you're happy, then I'm happy too."

"You are so sweet Kenneth. A shame really that you can't seem to be able to love."

"I-I...that's not the problem I just-" Kenneth stuttered, not prepared for that kind of statement.

"No need to embarrass yourself Kenneth. We already had this conversation many times." She said as she came closer to him.

"Yeah..." Kenneth sighed as he remembered their conversation 8 years ago.

"But now things have changed." she said as she stopped a feet away from him. It made him a bit uncomfortable, but he didn't move.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a champion now. I grew up, physically and emotionally. I'm at peace with myself. I'm a stronger woman. A woman who knows what she wants" She continued as she put her hand on Kenneth's chest. She was staring at her hand with a smile. Kenneth just looked at her with a confused look. Where was she going with this?

Then she looked up at him, gazing directly into his eyes. She smiled again as her body moved closer and closer to his. Kenneth looked down at their hips getting dangerously close, but somehow he didn't have the presence of mind to move. He opened his mouth to say something, but the heat of her body was distracting him too much for his brain to come up with a coherent sentence. Then, without warning, her lips crushed on his

Kenneth's eyes widen in surprise, his brain getting back into action. He stepped back but she followed him, her lips still attached to his. He caught her by her shoulder and pushed her away from him.

"Wooo, wait. What are you doing?" He asked her completely confused.

"You don't like it, Kenneth?" She replied, saying his name in a most disturbing and inappropriate manner as she looked at him with bedroom eyes. His throat became dry all of a sudden as he tried to convince himself that her gaze had no effect on him. God knows it wasn't the case...

She smiled and removed his hands from her shoulders, slowly, like when you don't want to scare a child by making abrupt moves. Her hand moved to his cheek, stroking it gently as her hips connected with his again.

"S-seriously Carly..." Kenneth finally said. "This is not funny."

"It's not meant to be funny." She replied. She leaned in for a kiss again, but this time Kenneth moved back to avoid her. Unfortunately, his foot touched a stone and he tripped, falling on his back. Carly moved like a feline and positioned herself on top of him, her legs on each side of his hips. She bent down and caught his lips.

Kenneth pushed on her shoulders again.

"Carly! Stop it. Are you crazy?" He said as he looked at her in disbelief. "Do you even realize what you're doing?"

She didn't reply. Instead, she straightened up and removed the brooch holding her coat at her neck.

"...W-what are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She replied as her long sleeveless coat slided down her arm. She slid a finger inside her strapless tank top, between her breast, and started to pull down, but Kenneth stopped her with his hand.

"Wait wait wait. I don't know what you are expecting from me but..."

"You know what I'm expecting from you Kenneth" Carly said with that seductive look he had never seen on her before. Her other hand unsnapped her big metal belt and removed it, letting it fall on the ground beside her. Her coat fell without it to keep it in place at her waist. "I'm tired of words. Obviously you need more than words to understand. At this point, I really don't care anymore. I want you and that's all I can think of. I feel you burning under my skin. I can't close my eyes 2 seconds without seeing you in my head. You're turning me to sin and I love it. I love it too much to resist, Kenneth. I've had enough of being good."

"You...you're out of your mind..." Kenneth stuttered. He just couldn't bring himself to believe what was happening. He understood that she might still have feelings for him, but she had never expressed them like this. She'd never been so straightforward. Never been so...so tempting.

Carly laughed quietly before bending down and whispering in his ear. "Don't you want me?"

Kenneth didn't even know what to reply. It was like there was no blood left in his brain to make it works. His mouth felt dry and his heart was racing.

"N-no." He said, trying to sound confident, but with little success. Her breath on his neck was doing a fine job distracting him.

"That's not what your body's telling me." she said as she rolled her hips on his. He held his breath and gripped her hips to make her stop.

"I...that's not..."

She put her hands on his chest and kissed him again, tenderly. She caressed him softly as she continued to rub herself on his crotch. This was too strange and so very wrong. It couldn't be real. It had to be a dream or something...but no matter how much his brain tried to analyze the situation, the small hands on his chest and the warm lips on his seemed pretty real to him. The wavy movements of her pelvis were all too real as well, so was her breathing, shuddering with desire, and this warmth emanating from her entire body. Her voluptuous, provocative...arousing body pressed against his cold and lonely one.

Kenneth felt his self-control slip for a moment. His hands itched to move and to touch skin. His lips begged to open to let his tongue meet hers. It had been a very long time since a woman had touched him like this.

Images of Julian rushed to his head. For a moment, he smelled her perfume, even if he knew it was only the work of his imagination. He remembered her face, her smile and her long red hair. He remembered her more vividly than he ever had since her death. Little details he thoughts had disappeared from his memories. The beauty spot at the top of her cheek, just under her marine eye. The birth mark under her right breast, that she hated so much. This incredible smile she had when he asked her to marry him. Her hands that looked so small and fragile when it was entwined with his. The serene and content expression she had while she slept after they made love. From the first time to the last one, her expression never changed.

He felt a familiar warmth rising in the lower part of his body. A sensation he hadn't felt in many years. He had promised himself long ago that he would never feel this desire again for another woman. But that was 14 years ago. He had to move on. He really tried his best to move on. Julian was no longer part of this world, but if she could talk to him now, what would she tell him?

"Get your ass out of that dark and sad pit you put yourself into and try to be happy for once."

'Yeah. That's probably what she would say.' He thought to himself as Carly's hands were becoming more bold and her mouth more insistent.

He had almost forgotten how soft woman's lips felt. How their skin was delicate. He wanted to remember. His hands travelled up her shirt to rest on her waist, but his gloves prevented him from touching her skin. He could feel her body heat through the fabric though and he squeezed her waist unconsciously. A soft, feminine moan vibrated on his lips. He had forgotten how that sounded too and it was all he needed to completely lost the small piece of control he still had.

His lips parted and tongues met, delicately trying to dominate one another. He gripped her hips, pressing her more firmly against him. A low groan escaped his throat as he dug his fingers deeper into the tender flesh of her hips, probably leaving a mark. He was completely lost. Time had stopped. For a brief moment, maybe a few seconds, all he could think about was this woman on top of him and the way her hands were travelling down his stomach.

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><p>I hope you liked this chapter. Reviews and comments are my fuel, so please leave some feedback :)<p> 


	18. 5:Caught red-handed

Now this chapter takes place almost at the same time as the previous one. I think you'll understand.

I like this chapter. Not a lot happens but it opens the door to more development about Mathias' past :) I love Mathias, teehee. Also added some details to back up the fact that it's in the future. But I know it's a lot of blah blah. I'm sorry. I love blah blah. Bear with me please :P

And a message to yorushihe: I love you bro, seriously :) thanks for the support :D

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><p><strong>Chapter 18 Caught red-handed<strong>

"I'm telling you. It's impossible to summon more than 5 spirit spheres!" Moohae yelled at his "friend" Mathias, sitting in front of him at the sanctuary.

"How can you be so sure?!" Mathias asked.

"No one has ever succeed!"

"Maybe because no one tried."

"No one has ever seen more than 5 spirit spheres on a monk, stop being so-"

"You've never seen God, but you believe in him nonetheless." Mathias interrupted him with a very proud smile.

"...Why you..."

"Calm down you two. Why is it impossible for you to talk more than 2 minutes without arguing?!" Verica exclaimed. She had spotted Mathias in the sanctuary while she passed by after Kenneth had left and decided to come and chat with him. She didn't realize that Moohae was with him. Now she kinda regretted it.

"Verica, tell this old geezer to stop doing everything to get on my nerve and maybe then we will get along." Mathias said, playfully.

"Old geezer? You're older than me!" Moohae said, exasperated.

"Verica, tell Moohae that I'm only 3 years older and that-"

"Urg! You're unbearable! I've had enough of you childish manners!" Moohae said as he got up from his chair and left the sanctuary.

Mathias winked at Verica as he laughed heartily.

"You're doing it on purpose, aren't you Mathias?" Verica said, muffling her own giggle.

"Aahh, he's just so funny to upset."

"You've known each other for a long time isnt it?"

"Yeah. Too much time if you ask me."

"Your relationship is strange. Sometimes you look like the best of friends, other time it seems you're going to kill each other."

"Ah, I suppose. He's like a brother to me. Brothers don't always get along." Mathias said with a smile as he got his faithful bottle of rum out of his pocket.

"I noticed that you never drink in front of him too. He's the only person you hide it from."

"Yeah, well, let's just say that there's a limit I should not cross. As long as he doesn't see me, I can pretend to be innocent."

"You don't care if the head master sees you, but Moohae yes?"

"Yolene doesn't give a damn if I drink or not. Unlike Moohae."

Verica hesitated a moment. There was something she had wanted to ask him for a while. She didn't know if it was appropriate though. After a short debate with herself, she decided that nothing was inappropriate with Mathias anyway.

"Hmmm, what is your relationship with Yolene-sama, exactly?'

"...Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?" Mathias said as he turned his head toward her with a suspicious gaze.

"Just asking. I heard you calling her sunshine the other day-"

"Hahaha, yeah, well, that's..." Mathias laughed awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. "Let's just say we've been through many...adventures together. It's, hum, a very long tale and not appropriate for young and innocent ears such as yours."

"I'm 24 years old, I'm no kid anymore. I can handle gory stories." Verica said as she frowned.

"Ah, gory stories was not what I had in mind."

"Oh, you meant...I see." She replied as she looked away shyly. She should have known. With Mathias, there was always a sexual allusion. "I never thought the head master was that kind of monk. I thought she was pretty strict about the church's rules and everything. I never thought she would-"

"She hasn't always been like this. But I have to admit I had a great influence on her back then." He stated as he coughed. "Now let's end this conversation here, will you. Yolene will kill me if I open my mouth anymore about this. It was such a long time ago." He said with a nervous laugh.

"Aaah, you're such a tease! Now I really want to know what happened." Verica replied as she crossed her arm and pouted, which just made Mathias laugh.

"Sorry girl. Maybe some other time."

"So there's nothing between you two?" she continued, refusing to let the matter go.

"Nope."

"But there has been something?"

"If by something you mean a real relationship, then no, not really. It was...complicated." he said, looking into space. "Then she met...mister righteousness in shining crusader armor." Mathias said as he rolled his eyes and smiled sarcastically. "And, well, things changed for good then."

"Her husband?"

"Yeah... It's strange. I never thought she would be the kind of woman to get married. But then again, I never thought Kenneth would get married either! I must not be very good at judging people about that."

"What?" Verica's head tilted to look at Mathias with wide eyes. "Wait, did you just said married? Kenneth was married with Julian?"

Mathias gave her an amused look. "Of course he was! What did you think?"

"I-I don't know. I knew he was with her but...I didn't know he actually married her."

"Only 5 months after meeting her, he proposed to her. But if you stop to think about it, it makes sense. Julian was atheist, but she understood that for Kenneth, consummating their love without getting married would be a sin. I don't know if she did it because of that or if she really wanted to get married, but either way I believe she didn't regret her decision. Kenneth genuinely loved her. Marrying her was only natural for him."

"How long were they married?"

"Until death did them apart." Mathias said, slowly. "Which means almost 2 years."

"Wow..." Verica looked in front of her and she let this new information seek in.

"Please don't let him know that I told you that."

"Why?"

"Just don't. I know he doesn't like it when I talk about him. Especially about his past."

"...Alright." Verica replied, not sure she understood. "But, about Yolene-"

"Ah, you still want to talk about that? Here I thought I'd managed to avoid the subject." Mathias said chuckling in his bottle of rum.

"I'm sorry for insisting, but Yolene's husband is dead, no?"

"He is."

"You never thought of...you know-"

"Taking his place?"

"Well, I wouldn't have said it like that, but yes."

"No. Things have never been like this between us. I don't expect you to understand but...let's just say we were both very lonely when we were younger."

Verica stared at the older man and waited for him to continue.

"I care about her like a sister. It may seems gross to say it like that, but that's what it is. It has never been romantic love. It was...mutual comfort." Mathias said, loosing his composed and calm demeanor for a brief moment. She saw his body tensed, and she immediately regretted her insistence. However, Mathias continued despite is malaise.

"But even if I had wanted to, things became really too complicated after the ancient head master chose her instead of me as next master."

"Wait! You...you were supposed to be head master?" Verica said, surprised again.

"The previous one was my teacher. Everyone expected him to choose me. He didn't, and if you want my opinion, it was a good decision. I would have been an awful head master, wouldn't you agree?"

"But to become head master you must be in the council first, no? Which means you used to be?"

"Yes. 'Used to be' being the right term to use."

"Why aren't you anymore?"

Mathias' eyes drifted to his bottle for a fraction of a second before setting back on Verica.

"Well, that will be a tale for another time." He said with a warm smile. A smile she was more than used to see, but usually worn by Kenneth. It was disturbing. It was a bit like looking at an older version of her sensei at that moment.

"You know, when you smile like that, you kinda look like Kenneth."

"Is that so?" Mathias said as he brought the bottle of rum to his lips and took a long sip. "Things like that tend to happen when you spend too much time with someone. You should be careful. Soon you'll start to smile like that as well, haha. Speaking of Kenneth. Where is he? He's not with you?"

"He went to see Carly." She said.

"Ah, that's right. I'm glad she made it back. She's been gone a long time. Kenneth's probably happy too."

"I suppose." Verica replied, looking in front of her and twisting a lock of hair between her fingers.

"You look upset."

"What?" Verica snapped.

"Are you jealous?" Mathias asked, still drinking and only looking at Verica from the corner of his eye.

"Jealous? Of what? For what? I don't understand why you're saying that." Verica said quickly.

"I don't know. Maybe you're afraid she's going to steal him from you."

'Steal him?' She thought. 'Could it be that he knows? Of course he does! It's Mathias! That man knows everything! Oh god...' She gave Mathias a frightened look. He noticed and explained himself.

"I mean." He continued. "Maybe he won't spend as much time as before training you, now that she's here. They spent lots of time together before. I suppose that won't change, even if you're there."

"Oh..."

"What did you think I meant?" He asked with a raised brow.

"...I-I don't know." She said, looking away.

"Hm. Well, next time you see him, could you give him this." Mathias said as he reached under his chair and gave her something wrapped in a piece of clothing.

"What's that?"

"It's the book."

"The-"

"Yes. That one." Mathias interrupted her before she could say "The demonic book". It was best if no one knew this book was here. "I'm leaving for Prontera later today. I don't want this book to stay without surveillance. Tell him to keep it somewhere safe while I'm gone, ok?"

"Ok. By the way, did you decode anything new?"

"Not really. I checked it when Yolene told us about the new pope. I realized that the image of the pope in the book was in fact a woman."

"You hadn't noticed before?"

"No. I didn't really check. I saw the pope suit and I concluded that it was a man. But I looked closely and realized the pope had boobs."

"...You didn't notice her breast? Coming from you it's quite an oversight!" Verica remarked as she giggled.

"Haha, I deserved that one." He replied with a smile. "But as I said, I wasn't expecting to see any. Her face is also quite feminine. I didn't attach great importance to it back then. I never saw the pope, don't know what he looked like."

"The pope was an old man! How could you think this was the same pope?"

"Yeah, well, I'm old and senile. Don't ask too much from my foggy brain." Mathias said, taking another sip of rum.

"Alright, alright. Anything else?" She said with a chuckle.

"Well, the fact that she's a child kind of make sense with the picture. In the book, it looks like she's being controlled by this shadow over her. A child is much easier to manipulate than a grown up man, there is no doubt about that. Someone is pulling the strings behind her. Only time will tell us who and why. But it doesn't really help us to know this. I have to admit I'm a bit lost presently. There's nothing in the bible helping either."

"You checked the bible?" Verica asked, incredulous.

"Yes, why do you look so surprised?"

"I don't know. I thought you didn't believe a word of what the bible said."

"Well, it is the base of the catholic religion. I can't bring myself to think that all of its content is just a fictional story written by men consumed by their lust for power and control over the population."

Verica stared at Mathias for a long moment before shaking her head with a sigh. "You're probably the most blasphemous monk Rune Midgard has ever known."

"That depends on your definition of blasphemous, I guess." Mathias replied with a smile. "But never mind that. What I meant to say is that there's nothing in the bible that speaks of such a prophecy, or anything that could help us. I even checked the old texts of the ancient gods, but there is nothing-"

"The ancient gods?" Verica interrupted. "You mean those old myths about Odin and the Valkyries?"

"I'm surprised you know about this. That's probably not something you learned at the church." Mathias said with a small chuckle.

"I read a lot." She said with a shrug. "But this is just mythology. Something ancient civilization came up with to explain things they couldn't understand. They didn't understand where the thunder came from, so they invented Thor, the god of thunder. Those are just childish stories."

"Why is it easier for you to believe in one God that created everything?"

"I don't know. The ancient gods' tales just seem so ridiculous!" Verica replied as she laughed awkwardly. "They present the gods like they are human. With desires and full of sins! God is perfect, that's why he is God."

"But our ancestors worshiped those gods for centuries. Don't you think there was some kind of truth about it?" Mathias insisted.

"What, don't tell me you believe in Odin!" Verica asked with a raised brow.

"My grand-father believed in Odin until his last breath and so did my father. Never believed one god could run the world alone." Mathias replied.

"I suppose it's normal to believe it when it's what you've been told all your life." Verica said, not wanting to insult Mathias or the memory of his family.

"But maybe Odin is the same as the God we believe in. They just gave him a different name."

"Probably, but all the stories around it are ludicrous. They are obviously invented! Reading the stories of the ancient gods is like reading a novel! It doesn't make any sense. There is only one God, there is no doubt about it." Verica said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Mathias stared down at her, unmoved. Then he smiled and drank before chuckling lightly. "I envy your faith." He said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've things to prepare." He patted her on her head before leaving. "Don't forget to give the book to your teacher."

Verica watched him walking away. Such an odd man he was really. Every time she thought she had him figured out, he found a way to surprise her. She looked down at the book in her laps. She didn't know why, but it made her feel uneasy to have it in her hands. She'd better go find Kenneth right away and give it to him. As she expected, she felt his presence at the south cliff. She got up and left the sanctuary to go find her teacher.

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><p>Verica arrived near the southern cliff, not really paying attention to her surrounding. She was still thinking about everything that Mathias had told her. She really wondered why he wasn't in the council anymore, but something told her that the man would never answer the question himself. Maybe Kenneth could tell her.<p>

She was pulled out of her thought by a strange sound. Like a low moan or something. Her head snapped up and she looked at the spot where she felt her teacher's presence. She saw a foot, probably her teacher's foot. The rest of his body was hidden by a large stone, part of the ancient ruin that laid there. What the hell was he doing on the ground? Did he fell asleep again?

She continued to walk toward him but took a few steps to the left to see him. The moment she could see him, she stopped.

Her jaw dropped, her heart skipped a beat and her breath caught in her lumps. She dropped the book on the ground as her legs shook and almost made her fall.

Carly was with him, on top of him, rolling her hips on him and kissing him passionately. Verica realized it was her moan she'd heard.

She didn't move from her spot. She stayed exactly where she was and watched. Any moment, she expected Kenneth to push her away, get up and yelled at her for doing such a thing. But he wasn't pushing her. He looked paralyzed, his fingers flexing on her hips in uncertainty. Then she heard the most arousing sound she'd ever heard coming out of this man's mouth.

His low groan of pleasure almost made her knee buckle. She held her breath and clenched her thigh as she watched Carly doing what she'd dreamt to do for 3 years. But the feeling of arousal she felt from this erotic display was not enough to push aside this horrible nausea crawling its way to her stomach. To see him with her was a knife in her heart. She couldn't even put words on her feelings at the moment, but the tears that started to flow spoke for themselves.

She saw him tightening his grip on her hips and bucking his own to meet hers in a slow thrust. The raw sexuality of his movement made her look away from the scene. She reached down for the book she'd dropped and turned around to leave, quickly, before her heart could shatter in her chest from the pain of seeing him like this with another woman, while she'd passed the last year convincing herself that something like this would never happen. If she couldn't, no one could. That was fair. That, she could accept.

But not this...

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><p>5 seconds. Maybe 10, maximum. 10 seconds of self-control loss. Only 10 seconds, but they were 10 seconds too many in Kenneth's book.<p>

16 years without breaking the sacred rules he had sworn to follow. And now, with a few well placed kisses and well chosen words, she'd managed to break him and made him want her like his life depended on it.

For all his great virtues, Kenneth had to admit that he could be a very weak, weak man sometimes.

Carly's bold hand was traveling down his stomach, while the other was steadying herself on the ground beside his head. His brain was screaming and flashing red lights all over his head to make him stop this. He tried to listen, but how was a man supposed to concentrate when his crotch was pressed against a woman's core?

However, it had to be acknowledged that Kenneth was everything but a slave of luxury. The example of his sensei had served well to dissuade him of doing anything related to this sin, unless it was with a woman he was allowed to sleep with. Last he knew, Carly and him weren't married. And that's why, after 5 seconds, maybe 10, maximum, his brain forced him back to reason. Right when Carly's hand was settling under his belt.

He removed his hands from her hips and caught her wrist to make her stop. She pulled away from their kiss in surprise. Kenneth still had his eyes closed, not daring to look at her right now.

"This is wrong." He simply said, trying to sound calm and composed, but his shaky breathing and his chest raising up and down rapidly betrayed his arousal.

Carly didn't say anything. She just smiled and put her lips back on his. But Kenneth wasn't having any of it anymore. He pushed on her shoulder, more forcefully than he intended. He shoved her away, to his right, and sat up as he looked away from her.

"Why did you do this?" He asked, panting and concentrating to suppress his desire.

"Why didn't you let me finish?" She asked back with a smile, not making any movement to put her coat back on.

"Because this is wrong."

"You weren't saying that 10 seconds ago."

Kenneth didn't reply right away. He took his time to calm himself and settle down. Then he slowly got up, still facing away from Carly.

"Even the most righteous of man can see his self-control slip away from time to time." He said, calmly. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize what I was doing-"

"But I realized what I was doing." Carly interrupted him.

Kenneth turned his head to look at her. His body flinched for a second when he saw her there on the ground, looking at him like he was naked and about to fuck her brainless right there under the trees. Her gaze was more arousing than a thousand of Comodo dancers right now.

He slapped himself mentally as he looked away again.

"You just came back from a long trip, Carly. You're pretty tired I'm sure. I believe you're not thinking straight." He said as he started to walk away.

"If it's more convenient for you to think that, then so be it." Carly said as she put back her coat and watched him walking away.

Kenneth didn't hear what she said. He didn't care enough to stop and ask her to repeat. He quickly put as much distance as possible between her and himself. What was he thinking? This was not like him.

But then again, no woman had tried to force herself on him like this since a very long time. Maybe it was understandable. He was only human after all, like Mathias often said to justify himself.

More importantly, he had put a stop to it before it got out of hand. It was all that mattered. He wasn't going to let something like this happen again. 10 seconds was not much, but it was too much nonetheless.

But what really worried him was Carly. He understood her feelings, but expressing them like this was sinful and wrong. This behavior was abnormal. Had she really changed that much during her travel? Becoming a champion was not supposed to change you like this, on the contrary. Something was wrong with her. Maybe something troubled her. There had to be a reason to why she did this.

But right now was not a good time to ponder on it. Not when he was so close to lose it just by gazing at her eyes...or any part of her body for that matter.

Kenneth made his way to the cemetery, just outside the church to the north. As expected, he saw Touha, praying in front of a tombstone. He approached her slowly, letting her know he was there.

"Good day to you Kenneth."

"Good day to you too, Touha-san."

The woman turned around and smiled warmly at the younger man. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Well..." He rubbed the nape of his neck as he looked side-way. "Do you...have time for a confession." He whispered.

"...A confession? You?" Touha said in surprise. Then she put her hand in front of her mouth and bowed lightly. "Oh, please forgive my reaction. It's just been a very long time since you've come to me for that. You're always so...righteous."

"Yeah, well, I suppose it means I'm human after all." He said with a sheepish smile.

"In any case, I'll gladly hear you. Come on in Kenneth." Touha said as she gestured him toward the church.

Kenneth followed behind her, head bowed. It had been ages since he went to confession. But right now, he really felt he had to. Even if, concretely, he hadn't really done anything bad, the thoughts that ran through his mind while she was on top of him were enough to make him feel dirty...

...and dirty was really an euphemism right now.

* * *

><p>Poor Verica. I feel bad for her, seriously. But that's how life works, unfortunately. Thank you for reading and reviewing :)<p> 


	19. 5:Experience of the elders

Again, this chapter is full of blah blah XD I'm so sorry, I just love dialogue! So yeah, if you were expecting some action, sorry, that will be for another time. But if you want to know more about Mathias' and Yolene's past, then I think you'll like this :)

I feel the need to clarify that when you see text in italic, it means it's a flash back. I hope it won't be too confusing. I liked the idea.

Also I really felt like writing some smut XD I'm sorry. I had to. Some of you will be pleased, I know :P For the others...well, sorry, but FAQ DA POLICE! I DO WAT I WANTZ!

...it's nothing graphic anyway, it's VERY tamed :P Please enjoy this little piece of history about my ragnarok characters :)

Oh and sorry for the late update. It's TOTALLY my beta's fault :P teehee.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 19 Experience of the elders<strong>

Verica stood in front of the giant gold-plated cross rising at the far end of the church, behind the hotel. She looked up at the monument, her breathing shaking and tears rolling down her cheeks. She'd run straight to the church after seeing Kenneth with Carly at the southern cliff, the book still in her arms.

"I-I'm so stupid..." Verica whispered to herself between sobs. She wanted to stop crying. She didn't want to feel like this. A monk was supposed to be the master of his emotion, and here she was, crumbling like a castle of cards because the man she loved was making out with someone else. What a pitiful excuse of a monk she was. She felt like she was 16 again. Why was she so stupid and childish?

Beside, she knew she would get hurt eventually. Nothing good could have come out of falling in love with her teacher. Instead of reasoning herself out of this madness, she had accepted it and rejoiced in the feeling. But there was no more rejoicing now.

Her heart ached. She felt like throwing up and her eyes were irritated from all the tears. She wished all this was just a bad dream, but the pain in her chest was all too real. Carly was really back and her love for Kenneth had not faded. All those years, Verica had convinced herself that Kenneth would never love again because of Julian. She'd been proven wrong in only a few seconds.

And it hurt so much...

She dropped the book on the ground and hugged herself as she went down to her knees.

"W-why am I crying s-so much?" She whispered. "This...this is so stupid. Why did I let m-myself fall in love like t-this?" She looked up at the giant cross. "Did I do something wrong? Do I d-deserve this somehow?" She asked, louder, as if it would trigger some kind of answer from God. Then she bent down, letting her tears fall on her knees. "I'm so stupid. I have n-no...no one else to blame b-but me. I never should have l-loved him..."

Then she felt something warm on her back, like a hand. She quickly looked behind her, her eyes red and puffy from her tears. She came face to face with a smiling head master.

"I don't know what's wrong young girl, but surely it's not worth crying so much."

Verica looked away as she wiped the tears from her cheeks, but more kept flowing down as she removed them. The head master sat beside the girl and rubbed her back gently. She looked up at the giant cross in front of them.

"I'm not God, but maybe I can listen to you as well. I have the advantage of being able to talk back." She said.

Verica stared at the ground, not wanting Yolene to see her like this. She sniffed and made small pitiful sounds as she tried to calm herself. The head master simply stayed there and waited for the girl to talk.

"Master..."

"Yes?"

"B-before your husband, have you ever l-loved anyone else?" She asked, controlling her sobs the best she could.

"I did." Yolene replied honestly.

"H-have you...ever loved someone you couldn't love?"

"What do you mean 'couldn't'?"

They were interrupted by the doors of the church opening. Verica turned around and looked pass the hotel to see Touha entering the church. When she saw Kenneth following behind her, she looked away immediately. What was he doing here? He wasn't with Carly anymore?

Touha entered a room to the right and Kenneth followed her, not even noticing the two women behind the hotel. The head master looked back at Verica with a raised brow.

"Is something wrong between you and your teacher?"

"No!" Verica said, louder than she intended. "It's nohting. I just...I just don't want him to see me like this." She lied. From Yolene's expression, she really couldn't tell if she believed her or not. But right now she didn't really care anyway.

"Hm, I see." The head master got up and walked to the first row of benches. She gestured Verica to come and sit with her. Verica took the book and joined her.

"Now, tell me Verica. What is wrong exactly?"

"It's nothing..."

"You don't cry like this for nothing."

"I..." Verica looked down at her laps, not knowing what to say. Was she supposed to tell the head master she was in love with her teacher and that she'd just seen him with another woman and that this was why she was crying? Probably not the best way to go.

The head master looked down at Verica with a compassionate smile.

"Well, I'm not stupid. I believe I know what this is about. May I ask who is this incredible boy who managed to put your heart in such a state?"

Verica remained silent as the tears came back to her eyes.

"I'll take your silence as a no." Yolene laughed. "It's alright. I understand. But you know, I'm here if you want to talk."

Verica returned the smile and looked up at the big cross. She didn't know what to say. She wanted to cry all the tears of her body, tell Yolene everything and complain about this injustice happening to her. But this was not so easy. She didn't want to look superficial, reacting with such force to something that, for a monk, was not supposed to be important. But when she saw that the head master was not moving from her spot, she understood that she was going to stay there until she talked. Well, if she was willing to listen.

"I love someone..." Verica started. "But I know he can't love me back. And I think he loves someone else."

"Ahh, the classic love triangle. I'm sorry to hear this. But why are you so sure he can't love you?"

"Well, I know it. It's...simply not possible." She said, vaguely.

"And are you sure he loves someone else?"

"If he doesn't love her, his tongue seemed to like hers a lot in that case." Verica whispered.

"Hmm, and are you sure you really love him?" Yolene asked, softly, not wanting to insult the young girl.

"Yes. I asked myself this question too many times to be wrong now. He's everything to me. I can't imagine my life without him. My heart wants to burst out of my chest when he touches me and when he's not there I feel like..."

"Like you're incomplete?"

"...Yes." Verica turned toward Yolene. "Did you feel like this with your husband?"

The older woman looked in front of her a moment before smiling sadly. "No."

"...No?" Verica repeated with a frown.

"My husband, William, God bless his soul, was a good man...and I loved him, don't get me wrong. But I didn't..." She hesitated for a second, looking for the right words to use. "I didn't have this incredible feeling of butterflies in my stomach when he looked at me."

"You felt like this for someone else?"

The head master nodded.

"So your husband was... a second choice?" Verica said hesitantly.

"It's a sad way to look at it, but yes. The man I really loved would have never been able to love me back. Not the way I wanted. It was hard and it was painful, but I got over it. I accepted it, I found someone else I loved too and I was very happy with this man."

"And you forgot the other one?"

"Forget?" The older woman laughed. "No, you don't forget the man who could make you happy just by smiling at you. The man who could make you undress and jump in his bed just by caressing your cheek." Verica looked away in embarrassment. "But I'm much older now. I like to think that I'm a wiser woman." Yolene said with a smile.

"He must have been a great man to have such an effect on you." Verica remarked.

"The worst in all this is that he wasn't such a great man. He had more faults than good qualities. But they say love is blind. I still don't understand what I saw in him. But even now, despite my age and experience, I still can't help it. My body tense every time he smiles at me. It's biological. It's beyond my control."

Verica stared at the head master, incredulous. She never thought Yolene was so close to her emotions, nor that she was the kind of woman to fall head over heels for a man. She was such a strong woman. The man she was talking about must have been something else. But then again, maybe she wasn't as strong as she is now when she was younger. After what Mathias had told her earlier...

'...Wait.'

"May I ask who he was?" Verica asked, not doing a great job at hiding her curiosity.

Yolene looked at Verica a moment and then smiled as she closed her eyes. "I'm sure you already have a name in mind."

"...It was Mathias, isn't it?" Verica whispered.

Yolene nodded and remained silent. Verica looked in front of her, stunned. Mathias? The Mathias she knew? Love really was blind after all. But who was she to judge? The Mathias she knew was a bald old man with a gray beard. Maybe he was an attractive young man in his youth. She wished she could see in the past.

"Mathias told me you were both very close when you were younger. But he said it has never been romantic love. He said you were just two lonely person trying to find some comfort..."

Yolene snorted. "Ah, yeah, well, I suppose that's what it was for him." She looked at Verica in the eyes. "You want the whole story?"

Verica nodded. The head master straightened up and took a deep breathe before starting.

"I arrived at the Abbey almost at the same time as Mathias. We became friend very soon and for me it became something else almost as soon. I found him so handsome and carefree, I wished to be more like him. When the time came to leave for Juno, we left together and travelled the world. That's when I noticed that Mathias was not the kind of man to settle with only one woman..."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'd heard rumours. During his travel with his sensei, he often visited brothel and slept with girls he didn't even know, without his master knowing of course. I didn't want to believe it, but as I travelled with him, I came to realize that it was indeed true." Yolene explained with a sad expression. Obviously it hurt her to talk about this. "I hated to see him flirting with other women. But I was too shy to say anything. That is until I couldn't take it anymore."

"What did you do?"

* * *

><p><em>A young Yolene stood in front of Mathias' room in the deserted corridor of the inn in the middle of the night. Her heart pounded in her chest, she felt tingles in her fingers and it seemed to her that she was about to faint any moment. With all the courage she could muster, she knocked delicately on the door. There was no way it would wake Mathias, but if he didn't answer, then she would go back to her room and probably avoid making the biggest mistake of her life. Unfortunately, the door opened.<em>

"_Hey, sunshine." A younger Mathias said in a low tone. "Now, don't get me wrong; it's always a pleasure to see you, but it's the middle of the night. Is something wrong?"_

_The young woman stared at the man with apprehension. She held her breath and turned off her brain, for what she was about to do was simply madness for her. But she had enough of seeing him in the arms of strangers. She wanted him in her arms. She wanted to make him love her, by any means possible. If for that she had to sin, then so be it. May God forgive her on her deathbed. She closed the distance between them and put her lips on his, too quickly to let him back off. She had never kissed a man before, but as she felt the heat between their bodies and the small moan that vibrated on her lips, instinct took over. _

_Mathias didn't understand what happened. All he understood was that a woman was kissing him and that was all he needed to know. The fact that it was Yolene should have disturbed him greatly, but his brain tended to be very slow when he was aroused, and it didn't take a lot to excite him. He delicately grabbed the back of her head to pull her deeper into the kiss and pushed on the small of her back to connect their hips. The motion frightened Yolene a little and she pulled away from the kiss to look at him. He opened his eyes and gazed at her, confused and annoyed by the lack of warmth on his lips. He looked at her, into her eyes, like he looked at "them". Those other women he bedded. It was that exact same stare, full of need and hungry to look at more than her eyes. It should have scared her, but somehow it triggered something inside her that she didn't know she had. _

_She forced him into the room and closed the door with her foot. She pulled him into another kiss and walked toward the bed. The back of his knees hit the mattress and he fell on his back, bringing her with him on the bed. She braced herself on her hands and kept kissing him as she felt his hands roaming her body. She couldn't keep the small moan of excitement from leaving her lips now and then, and every time, she felt Mathias' lips curve into a small smile._

_As they kept attacking each other's mouth, Mathias' hands became more bold and started removing her clothes. It was then that she panicked and straightened up. She looked into his eyes, fearful, and he saw it immediately. He rolled them over on the bed, getting himself between her legs as he placed light kisses along her neck. He trailed up to her ear where he stopped and whispered. _

"_I don't know exactly what you intend to accomplish here, but I'm not the kind of man to be teased and left with nothing before it even started." He raised his head to look at her in the eyes. She saw a strange expression of worry and caution on his face._

"_I'm sorry." Was all her brain could come up with. It didn't really made sense with the situation, but by the way she saw him struggling to keep control over himself, she understood that he wasn't listening to her anyway._

"_I care too much about you to do something like this and hurt you in the end." He said in a low tone. "Are you sure you want this?"_

"_Mathias. How can you be so blind. I lov-"_

"_I'm a gentleman, sunshine." He interrupted." And I really do care for you. That's why I'm offering you one last chance to back off. If we do this, you have to understand what it means...and what it doesn't mean."_

_She kept gazing into his bright eyes. She'd never been able to determine their color. Sometimes they seemed blue, other times they seemed green. They fascinated her to no end. She didn't often have the occasion to examine his eyes up close like this. She found it extremely easy to get lost in them._

_Mathias stood on his stretched arms above her, giving her enough space to slip out of the bed and leave._

"_I warned you." He said. "I don't know what caused you to be so bold all of a sudden, but if you want to play, you have to do it according to the rules. This is what I'm offering. You take it or you leave it. Either way, it won't change anything between us."_

"_Is that really how you want to play it?" She asked._

"_That's the only way I play, sunshine."_

_Clothes were quickly discarded on the floor when he saw she wasn't moving from the bed. The first kiss, the first time being seen naked by a man, the first time seeing a man naked, the first time being kissed in places she was shy to touch herself...Yolene thought that this night would be quite something to remember. _

_Then came the first time a man entered her. It was painful and far from pleasant. She knew it was going to hurt, but not that much. During the first minutes, she really considered abandoning and pushing Mathias off the bed to leave. Fortunately, Mathias was not a selfish lover. He cared way too much about her to screw this up. She could see that he restrained himself, keeping a slow pace and giving her all the attention she needed to enjoy herself despite the pain. She loved to see him struggling against his own desire. She didn't understand it though; didn't understand what was so desirable about her. The women he bedded were generally much more voluptuous than she was. But as minutes passed by, she no longer had the presence of mind to care about her self-consciousness anymore. _

_It was when Mathias heard her whispering his name and felt her hips starting to move in rhythm with his that his brain resigned, leaving him alone with his instinct to continue. He gazed into her eyes and her expression sent a shiver down his spine. The little sunshine, always so serious, shy and composed, throwing her head back in delight and panting heavily in utter desire...God that was obscene. It was a sight he thought he would only see in imaginary fantasies. The real thing was so much better, but way too much even for him. There was something incredibly arousing in seeing a woman usually so reserved in such a state. Knowing that it was because of him didn't help. He was a pervert, what else could he say? It was his nature, and he loved it too much to stop, especially now._

_He laid down on her, burying his head in the crook of her neck and wrapping his arms around her to hold her against him. She hugged him back, clinging to him for dear life. She loved the way he lost control. The way he abandoned himself and lost his rhythm to become erratic and desperate. It was her name escaping his lips in a groan near her ear that distorted her reality, washing her away on a distant world she didn't know existed up until now. She didn't even felt the last thrust he gave before slipping out and joining her on that far away world that was too good to be true. _

_Then the room went silent, filled only by the shaky breathing of two sinful monks taking advantage of each other's warmth. As she laid there under him, his breath on her neck and his heart beating against her chest, she felt ashamed. Ashamed because the only thing she should feel right now was regret. _

_But she felt everything but regret._

* * *

><p>"You talked to his crotch instead of his heart?" Verica said with a small blush on her cheeks.<p>

"That's a way full of imagery to say it." Yolene said as she laughed heartily. "But yes. I had enough of seeing him making out with other women while all I wanted was to be at those women's place."

Verica thought for a moment. This was probably not the best way to go about her own problem. But this was a different situation.

"And how did he react?"

"From that day on, he stopped seeking the company of other women on our travel."

"So he loved you?"

"I wouldn't say that..."

"Then why didn't he sleep with other woman during that time?" Verica asked.

"I suppose he didn't see the point of seeking another woman when he knew there was one willing to be with him in the next room. We slept together again later, but every time I tried to clarify things about our relationship, he cleverly avoided the subject. As you said, for him it was just comfort. Two lonely people giving each other attention."

"And you were ok with that?" Verica asked, not really understanding how she could accept this.

"I was with him. If it was all he was willing to give, that's what I was going to take."

"But...sleeping with a man without being married is a sin." Verica said hesitantly.

"I know..." The older woman sighed. "I was young and stupid. And Mathias was doing a great job convincing me that the church's rules were not God's rules."

"Do you regret it?"

Yolene looked up at the cross for a long moment as she thought about this difficult question.

"No. I don't." Yolene finally replied. "I apologized for it to God, but to say that I regret it would be a lie. Humans make mistakes. That's what forces us to grow up and learn. I wouldn't be the woman I am now if this hadn't happened. But I have to admit that all it did is hurt me in the end, because Mathias didn't love me the way I loved him."

"To me, it looks like he used you." Verica said.

"I suppose. But I was willing to be used. There lies all the difference."

The younger woman looked at the head master, skeptical.

"I don't want to sound crude, but all those night with him and you never...got pregnant?" she said hesitantly.

The head master gave her a surprised look before staring down at her laps. "No. Mathias was always very careful with this. But even so, there is a limit to what caution can do. You see..." She looked back at Verica with a sad smile. "Apparently, God didn't think it was necessary for me to be able to give birth."

"You mean..."

"Yes, I'm barren. I'll never know what it is to have a child of my own blood unfortunately."

Verica looked at the old woman with sympathy. "I'm sorry master."

"It's ok. God gifted me with dozen of children in another way." Yolene said with a smile as she put her hand on Verica's knee, who smiled back.

"Did your husband know what happened between you and Mathias?"

"No. I never thought he needed to know. When I married William, It was clear in my mind that Mathias was out of my reach. I went to his room before my wedding and I told him that our little meetings in the middle of the night would never happen again."

"And what did he say."

"He looked at me right in the eyes and said 'I hope you'll be happy with him'. Then he kissed me and I ended up in his bed for the last time of my life."

"That seems a little unfair for your husband." Verica said with a frown.

"True. I admit that I have been a little selfish. But what is done is done. Wisdom comes with a great deal of regrets." The older woman said with a smile.

Verica looked down at the book in her laps and sighed. "Love is so complicated."

"Love is a wonderful emotion." Yolene stated. "But it can crush you as easily as it can make you happy. I know it's hard to accept, Verica, but I'm afraid that's just how life works. You don't always get what you want..

"I know." Verica sighed again. "And I'm very ashamed of myself for reacting like this."

"Is it the first time you've ever been in love?" The head master asked. Verica nodded. "Then it's normal. Pain is pain, no matter how it manifests itself. There is no bad reason to cry. But you're a strong girl. You'll come out of this even stronger." She said with a smile.

"Thank you, Yolene-sama. For you words, and for sharing your experience with me." Verica whispered with a thankful smile.

"That's what I'm here for sweetheart." Yolene replied with a warm motherly smile.

Verica was about to get up and leave when she remembered something. "May I ask one last question?"

"Of course."

"Why is Mathias not in the council anymore?"

The head master's eyes widen and her body tensed. She stared at Verica a long moment. It looked like time had stopped. Then she sighed and lowered her voice. "What I'm going to tell you must never escape your lips. This is not something we talk about casually. And especially not in front of Mathias."

"O-of course..."

"Alright..." Yolene took a deep breath. "First you must know that the previous head master was Mathias' teacher. He was also my uncle. And when the time came for him to choose a successor, everyone thought he would choose his student. To everyone's surprise, he chose me instead."

"Yes, I know this."

"Alright. But what you probably don't know is that Mathias was NOT happy about it."

"Really? When he told me he didn't seem to care."

"Yes, now he doesn't care, but back then he didn't take it well. He was furious! And alcohol didn't help his case. You see, Mathias had always drink, but not as much as he does now, and always in secret. But that day..." Verica almost saw the shudder that ran along Yolene's spine. "He didn't have the same tolerance he has now. He was in such a rage, no one was willing to try to calm him down. He was bluntly dangerous. He flipped tables of the sanctuary, punched trees out of the grounds, broke walls...it was not a pretty sigh."

Verica listened with great concern. She had trouble imagining such a scene.

"After a while he calmed down a little and I tried to bring him back to the sanctuary. But the head master found him before I could reason him."

* * *

><p>"<em>Mathias! You're completely drunk! If my uncle sees you, you'll be in big trouble!" A 43 years old Yolene shouted at her friend. <em>

"_Ask me if I care! Miss 'next head master'!" Mathias yelled back as he finished his bottle of rum and threw it on the outer wall of the abbey where it shattered. _

"_Mathias..."_

"_Ask me!"_

"_...Do you care?" Yolene sighed as she rolled her eyes. She didn't feel like dealing with a drunken Mathias right now. But the longer he stayed here, the more chance he had to be found by his ex-teacher. She didn't want that. _

"_I don't give a fuck!" He yelled as he struggled to stay on his feet. "Let him find me! Then I'll tell him what I've always wanted to tell him. That old, bastard, freaking...geezer..."_

"_God, Mathias, you're drunk! Look at you! You can barely stand! Go to bed already and pray that uncle doesn't see you!"_

"_I'll go to bed only if you come with me." He said with a suggestive smile. _

"_Mathias you-"_

_She was interrupted by the sound of footstep behind her. Someone was coming toward her, and fast. She felt a draft to her right and before she could understand what had caused it, her uncle stood in front of her. He punched Mathias in the face and in a fraction of a second he was knocked back on the ground a few meters away, holding his nose and whining pitifully. _

_She looked back at the head master in fear. He was staring down at Mathias with so much anger, it looked like his eyes were going to burst out of their orbit. He started to walk toward him, but Yolene caught his arm. _

"_Uncle! Please! Don't-"_

_He stopped walking and stared down at his niece. A single look into his angry eyes and her blood froze in her vein. She slowly let go of his arm and watched him getting closer to Mathias as she went to her knees. There was no way to stop what was coming. He had brought it upon himself. _

_Mathias tried to get up. After many attempts, he finally managed to get on his feet. He looked at his sensei with a mix of fear and annoyance. He threw his fist at him, but in his inebriated state, it was like an ant trying to fight a foot. The head master, despite his old age, was still the most powerful champion in Rune Midgard. He easily put Mathias to the ground again. The younger man got up with difficulty once again and started laughing, God knows why. _

"_And you think it's funny?" The head master said between clenched teeth. "We'll see if you can still laugh with you throat crushed." _

"_Oh, I'm sorry master!" Mathias said, laughing sarcastically as he spitted blood. "I didn't mean to insult you! Oh great lord of righteousness!"_

"_What happened to you Mathias? Did you look at yourself? Do you really think you can call yourself a monk, drowning you anger in alcohol like this, like a sailor! Your behavior only proves me that I was right in choosing Yolene instead of you, Mathias! Look at you! You're a disgrace! Was I really your teacher once!" The head master yelled at his ex-student. _

"_Oh shut up!" Mathias said in an exasperated tone. "You and your principles and your rules and your other...things that are such a pain in my ass! You're just a stupid old man who doesn't understand anything. Maybe if you get laid once in a while you wouldn't be such a tight-ass."_

_The old man glared at Mathias with indescribable fury. It took him all his self-control acquired during a lifetime of meditation not to beat the man in front of him. Yolene couldn't believe her ears. Alcohol had a devastating effect on her friend. Saying such things to her uncle was suicide, especially for him. But then, Mathias turned his gaze toward her. She looked up to him and when she saw his face, she prayed that what he was about to say was not what she thought it was._

"_I think your uncle doesn't remember how it's done, sunshine." Mathias said with a drunken chuckle. "Maybe we could do a demonstration..."_

* * *

><p>"Oh God...He didn't say that?" Verica said, her hand in front of her mouth.<p>

"He did. And he confessed all about his past relations with me." Yolene sighed. "Then my uncle's fist collapsed with his stomach and he went flying over the wall of the Abbey. He beat him to a pulp. I don't think there is a better expression to explain what happened. It was unbearable to watch...but I watched anyway, knowing perfectly well that there was nothing could do for him."

"I knew Mathias was special, but to do this. This is simply unacceptable!"

"What is acceptable and what is not tend to blend when you're drunk." Yolene snorted. "If I hadn't been there, the head master would have killed him, no doubt. The next day, Mathias met with the rest of the council and they banished him from it, forbidding him to ever be part of it again. I think my uncle stayed angry at him until his last breath. This is not something Mathias likes to remember. He was very ashamed of himself after the events and he never drank again for 2 years." Yolene continued. "Until 13 years ago."

"What happened 13 years ago?" Verica asked, spontaneously.

* * *

><p><em>Yolene was reading in her room during the night when she heard a knock on her door. She got up and asked who it was.<em>

"_It's Mathias."_

_Her brow furrowed. She walked to the door and opened it. She came face to face with a drunk Mathias, head bowed and staring intensely at the door frame. He looked ashamed and his eyes were red, like he had been crying for hours._

"_Can I come in?" The man asked in a low tone, almost a whisper._

_Yolene stepped aside to let him inside. She closed the door behind him and sat on her bed, gesturing him to sat with her. She was about to ask him what was wrong when she saw him moving his head toward hers, eyes closed and with the evident intention to kiss her._

_Her brain told her to back off, but her heart blocked her body, paralyzing her. She just stayed there and accepted the kiss for a few seconds. But her brain couldn't be ignored too long. She was not the girl she once was, and despite the fact that her husband was dead, it still felt like she was cheating on him. She pulled away and pushed on his chest before looking at him in confusion. He looked away, as if he was disappointed in her reaction, but ashamed of his actions at the same time. They stayed like this a long moment, until Mathias collapsed._

_Tears started to flow, his face turning into an uncharismatic expression of pain. In all the years she had known him, she'd never seen him cry. Not even when his father died. She didn't know what to do. She just stared at him, stunned. He leaned his head on her shoulder and broke down completely as she wrapped her arms around him. It was a painful sight to witness. For hours, they stayed like this. He kept saying "I'm an idiot", "I'm a coward", "I should have stayed with her" and other things that were incomprehensible to Yolene's ear. She simply didn't understand what he was talking about._

_Then he stopped crying and looked away from the woman. _

"_I'm sorry." He whispered, his voice still shaking._

"_What's going on Mathias?" Yolene asked, her voice full of worry. _

"_I don't know why I came here. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have." He got up and took a step to leave. Yolene got up as well and grabbed his arm to stop him. He turned around to look at her with a confused look._

"_Don't be stupid." She whispered as she took his hand and forced him to lay on the bed with her. She laid down on her back and guided Mathias' head to her chest. She warped her arms around him and caressed his shaved head tenderly as she felt her clothes getting wet from his tears. Eventually she fell asleep, Mathias still crying on her chest._

* * *

><p>"When I woke up the next morning, he wasn't there anymore. Then when I saw him, he acted as if nothing had happened, except that he had a bottle of rum in his hand. From that day on, he no longer hid himself when he drank and was drunk most of the time..."<p>

Verica looked at the head master, bemused. This was too much personal information.

"Why are you telling me all this, master? This is awfully personal..."

"I don't know." Yolene said with a smile. "My instinct told me to tell you. I suppose I just trust you. You're a wise girl. I hope my experience will help you avoid doing some mistakes and help you understand people around you a little better."

"Thank you." Verica replied. She felt very privileged right now.

She took a moment to process all this information. She was glad to know more about Mathias. It was relatively easy to make him talk about his past, but he always diverted the questions before they became too personal. Although the Mathias she'd just heard about was not really the same old Mathias she knew, she still felt like she understood him a little better. She was also glad that Yolene had shared her experience with her.

This woman had lived all her life with the man she loved, letting him use her, without him ever returning her love. The man who had sworn to love her until death was dead and now look at her; she was a proud old woman and happy, despite all she'd been through. That's what life was; good and bad moments. Some easy, some hard, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Her little problem was nothing compared to what the head master had lived. If she was crumbling just because of this, what would she do later, when the real obstacles would come.

She felt very ashamed of herself right now, but she felt comfortable in the fact that Yolene hadn't judged her. She'd simply made her understand that she would go through this and that it wasn't the end of the world. It was easier said than done, especially when she would have to face Kenneth later, but worst things would come later in her life. She had to regain her self-control.

Definitely easier said than done though...

She got up from her seat, the book in her arms. "Thank you so much."

Yolene nodded and smiled. She looked at the young monk walking away and leaving the church. The head master looked up at the cross with a smile. "Time passes, but humans stay the same." She said out loud, like she was talking to God.

After a few minutes, she heard a door open to her right. She saw Touha and Kenneth leaving a confessional.

"Don't worry so much about it Kenneth, it's natural." She heard Touha say.

"I know. I'm just not used to it." Kenneth replied.

"You did the right thing. But now what really worries me is her. She's your friend. You should try to talk to her and see why she did this. She knows it's not right. I think she needs your help."

"Yes. I'll see what I can do. Thank you."

"Anytime Kenneth."

The young man left the church, not even noticing the head master. Touha did though, and she walked up to her.

"Good day Yolene-sama."

"Good day Touha."

The younger woman sat beside the head master.

"Was Verica alright?" Touha asked. Obviously she had noticed her earlier.

"She will be eventually." Yolene replied. "It's nothing she can't handle."

* * *

><p>Not a lot of story development in this is it? Yeah...but I liked the idea of flashback. I thought it was interesting. What can I say, I just love Mathias and Yolene :P<p>

And poor little Verica who's trying to convince herself everything is ok lol. Of course it won't. Would be boring otherwise :P

Anyway, thank you for reading. ^_^


	20. 5:Easily Influenced

Quick note just to tell you that I finally found where I had seen the catholic church in ragnarok before. It clearly says in the official description of the monk the following:

"Now Rune Midgard's King, Tristan the 3rd's proclamation to the large **Catholic Church's **archbishop in following the bidding of all meaning of faith, wants them to set forth on a war against evil"

...So yeah, I knew I wasn't crazy. I really HAD seen it somewhere. AH! Now I feel better XD But it really confuses me even more about Ragnarok's lore -_-

But I'm not going to change the setting again lol. Things are fine as they are XD It just gives more credibility to my context.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 20 Easily influenced<strong>

"Verica, you're awfully distracted today." Kenneth said to his young student as they were sparing at the training ground, early in the morning.

"I'm sorry sensei." Verica replied as she tried to concentrate on the battle. Her efforts seemed pointless though. Too many things made her lose her focus, especially the events of the previous day.

Her discussion with Yolene had really helped her. Honestly. But it was easy to say that you were alright when you were alone. It was harder to be alright when the subject of your broken heart was right in front of you. Every time her eyes rested on his mouth, all she could think about was the fact that Carly's lips had been there yesterday. Every time he spoke, the low groan she'd heard from him resonated in her head, making her blush. It was frustrating. As much as she wanted to be angry at him and simply not love him anymore, his presence still had the same effect on her. It was a curse, nothing less.

Her train of thought was interrupted when a hand grabbed the back of her knee. The ground suddenly disappeared from under her feet and she found herself on her rear with a loud thud, which she accompanied with a small scream of surprise.

"Hahaha." Alek was reading a book under a tree a few meters away from the two. He laughed heartily when he saw Verica fall on her ass.

"Yes, very distracted." Kenneth repeated with a devilish smile as he straightened up. He walked in front of her and offered his hand to help her get up.

Verica accepted the hand as she glared at Alek, who immediately stopped laughing and returned his attention to his book. The moment she was on her feet, she let go of his hand, more quickly than she intended. Kenneth noticed and his brow furrowed, but from the look on Verica's face, he decided not to mention it.

"Well, you're not much of an opponent presently." He remarked.

"I said I was sorry." Verica spat as she went back into her battle stance.

"Hm."

Kenneth stared at her, a small hint of worry in his eyes. She was distracted and aggressive; not a good mix for training. Besides, it was not like her to be like that. She was usually a gentle girl. And even when she was upset, she was always doing a great job at setting aside her problems during training. He really wondered what was bothering her so much.

She launched herself at him, trying to punch him in the face, but Kenneth easily dodged her. He didn't even make any movement to counter attack. He simply circled around her, a smile on his face and his hands behind his back to add to the insult. It was like trying to punch a leaf caught in the wind. Every hit that missed angered Verica even more and made her clumsier. As much as Kenneth enjoyed playing around with her, he felt that now was not a good time to pick on her. So after a few seconds, he grabbed her fist in its track to his face. He spun her around and grabbed her other hand before she could understand what was happening. He kicked the back of her knee to make her kneel and put his foot on the small of her back to keep her in place.

"I would have a harder time fighting a priest right now." He said with a chuckle.

Verica tried to free herself, but Kenneth's foot prevented her from getting up and her hands were trapped. She sighed and bowed her head. What a mess she was right now. What a shame...

"Let go of me..." Verica whispered in a low tone that screamed "I'm not in the mood to be made fun of right now."

Kenneth hesitated a moment, but after a few seconds he let go of her wrists and removed his foot, letting her sit on her legs. She just stayed there, her anger radiating in a dark aura around her. Her sensei walked to her front and crouched.

"Seriously girl, what's going on?"

"I don't know, I'm distracted." Verica said, looking at the ground, slightly sideways.

"You don't say!" He exclaimed with false surprise.

Verica crossed her arms and looked in the distance to her right. "If you're done getting on my nerves and making fun of me, we could continue or just stop the training for today." She said, coldly.

Kenneth sighed and took her chin to make her look at him. Her body tensed when his gloved fingers touched her skin and she held her breath, keeping her eyes away from him. She mentally slapped herself from being so affected just by this simple action. Something was definitely wrong with her.

'Get a hold of yourself for God's sake. He's holding your chin! You act like he is stripping you!' A bright blush appeared on her cheeks. 'Oh no, you shouldn't have thought about that...'

"Look at me."

Verica laughed inwardly. This was something he often did; take her chin and tell her to look at him. He'd done it many times; every time he sensed that something was bothering her. She always liked it, but right now it wasn't so pleasant when she knew where those fingers were yesterday; squeezing the waist of a blond champion with bigger breasts and bigger hips. It didn't help that she was much sexier. And who knows what else he had touched during the night?

She felt her stomach turning upside down and she forced herself to stop thinking about it. She removed her chin from his fingers and got up.

"I'm really sorry for my behavior sensei. I'm not in the mood for training." She forced herself to smile at him. "Maybe you could do your favorite student a favor and forget the sparring session for today?"

Kenneth saw through her fake smile immediately. He stared at her with a grave expression. She'd never refused to look at him like this, nor to tell him what was wrong. Usually, she at least made the effort to come up a coherent lie. Now she was just plainly ignoring him.

"And why aren't you in the mood for training?"

"I don't know."

"What will you do when you're not in the mood for a fight? Let yourself get killed?" He said, clearly not amused by her lack of effort.

"Now is not a good time that's all-"

"I decide when it's a good time girl." He interrupted her as he crossed his arm and glared at her. "If I want to wake you up at 3:00 in the morning to make you fight, I'm in my right to do it. Consider yourself lucky that I let you sleep." Verica gulped. The example had come out too easily to be made up. From the look on his face, it seemed like a real past experience. It was definitely the kind of thing Mathias would do.

"But sensei-"

"Don't 'but sensei' me. Take back your battle stance and-" Kenneth stopped as his head turned suddenly to the left. Verica stared at him with a raised brow. His body tensed as he sighed. "Hum, alright."

"...Alright what?" Verica asked, a little confused.

"Let's end the training here for today." He said as he turned around to leave. "But I'm expecting you to be bright and shine tomorrow, girl." He yelled above his shoulder as he started to walk more hastily.

Verica just stayed there, mouth slightly open in confusion. She looked at Alek with a questioning look, but he just stared back at her with the same bemusement and shrugged. The girl sighed heavily before walking up to Alek and sitting beside him on the ground.

"What the fuck was this about?" She pouted.

"What was what? You almost killing your teacher with your glare? Or him leaving like he'd forgotten to turn off the stove?" Alek asked with a smile.

"Urg, Whatever..." Verica sighed.

"Seriously Verica, that was just horrible. You fought like..."

"Like a priest?"

"Well, yeah. Are you going to tell me what's wrong? Why are you so distracted and why did you look so angry at him?"

"I don't feel like talking about it." Verica replied honestly.

"Did he do something to you?" He asked, slightly worried.

"You could say that."

"...Care to elaborate?"

"I just..." She rubbed her face with her hands and sighed again. "I realized how much Kenneth is out of my reach. Letting myself fall in love with him was a mistake. I knew I would get hurt, but I didn't care. Now I'm hurt, and I have no one else to blame but me."

Alek looked sadly at his friend as he put his hand on her shoulder. "What happened?"

"He..."

Verica stopped when she saw movement not far from her. She raised her head to see a blond champion making her way through the training ground. She stopped right in front of the two monks.

"Hey, hello Verica." Carly said with a bright smile.

Verica's heart skipped a beat and her eye twitched as she put on the most fake smile she ever had.

"Hi Carly. It's been a long time."

"Too long." The blond said as she crouched in front of her. She turned toward Alek and offered him her hand. "I don't think we've met, I'm Carly."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Alek." The boy said as he shook her hand under the despising glare of Verica.

"It's nice to see new apprentices. Ah, I remember when you arrived here Verica. You grew up so much. Look at you, a grown woman." She said to Verica.

"Yeah, thanks." She replied, clearly not wanting to have a lengthy discussion with the woman.

"You just came back from your trip to Juno to become a champion, right?" Alek asked.

"Yes, I came back yesterday."

"How was it?"

"It was very nice. I met a lot of interesting people and they made me experience new things that were as interesting as them." Carly said in a suggestive tone that made Alek a bit ill-at-ease.

"Hum...yeah, I'm sure it was."

Verica glared at Carly as she listened to their idle chat. She was so full of herself. She just stood there; elbow resting on her knees and arms squeezing her breasts, her champion suit accentuating them even more. The way she laughed and smiled in a most flirtatious way was infuriating. Verica hadn't realized how irritating she was back when she was 16. Now she was just unbearable to watch, with her perfect little waist, perfect hips and perfect voluptuous breasts...

'Urg...'

"You're lucky to have Merril as a teacher. She's very talented and gentle." Carly continued while Verica was thinking to herself.

"Yeah, well, I don't know about gentle, but she's a good teacher." Alek said with a small nervous laugh.

"Oh I'm sure she is. But you don't look like a hard boy to teach." She said, resting her hand on his knee. He looked at it, and so did Verica. She kept her hand there and even brushed her thumb lightly against him in a way that was most disturbing for someone he just met.

"Hum...I-I have something that I...just remembered I had to do." Alek said as he quickly got up, a little shaken by this intrusion in his personal space."It was nice to meet you Carly. Hum, I'll see you later V." He gave a confused and apologetic look to Verica before walking away.

"It was a pleasure to meet you too Alek!" Carly yelled to the boy. She took his place on the ground beside Verica. The girl was about to get up and leave as well, not wanting to spend unnecessary time with the blond, but she started speaking to her.

"I'm really glad to see you again Verica."

"Yeah...me too Carly." She mumbled.

"How is it with Kenneth?"

Verica's heart skipped a beat for the second time in less than 5 minutes. "It's ok."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it. But tell me, do you know where he is?"

Verica looked up at Carly a moment in confusion. "He was here a few minutes ago, but he left like he'd forgotten something important, without any explanation."

"Hm, I see. Well, I guess I'll talk to him later then."

Verica frowned. Was Carly the reason why he left so suddenly? Maybe he'd felt her presence and knew she was coming here. But why would he avoid her? Could it be that things didn't turn out the way she imagined?

"What did you want to talk about?" Verica asked casually.

"Oh, nothing important..." She replied with a secretive smile. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Carly started giggling.

"What are you laughing about?"

"Oh, Verica...Can I talk to you honestly?"

"Hum, sure, I guess." She replied, very confused.

"You know, when I left to become a champion, I did it partly because of him. You see I...kind of loved him, a lot."

'Yeah, I knew that' Verica thought.

"But he didn't want to have anything with me. I couldn't stand to be around him anymore, you see. That's why I left. I'm glad I did. It made me grow up. It changed me. I love the person I am now better than the person I once was."

Verica listened to the blond with mid-attention. Where was she going with this?

"Yesterday, I talked with Kenneth. I finally made him understand how much I loved him. I don't know if it's the way I explained it to him or maybe it's him who changed his mind on his own, but things are looking well for us. He said he had moved on about his past and that he was willing to give us a chance." She said with a bright smile.

Verica felt like throwing up. Was this the new torture God had come up with to make her suffer? Why was she telling her all this? Why was she staying here, listening to Carly? She didn't want to be here anymore. She wanted to go somewhere isolated and cry and tear everything on her way. She didn't want to be with this woman.

"I'm so glad Verica. All those years I was away, I didn't really think about him. But the moment I came back and saw him again, all my feelings came back rushing to my heart. I'm so happy to be with him now and that he accepted my love."

Verica couldn't help the tear that fell from her eye. Her throat felt dry and her heart was heavy. She wanted to scream. She wanted to die.

"Are you alright Verica?" Carly said as she noticed her tear.

The young girl tried to speak, but only a whimper left her throat. She bit back the urge to scream and leave. She was an adult. She could handle this situation like a grown up woman.

"I-I'm sorry Carly. Please don't mind me. I'm just...I wasn't prepared for this." She said in a low tone, her voice trembling as she wiped the tear from her cheek.

"Why...are you crying like this?" Carly asked as she put her hand on Verica's knee in a comforting gesture.

"I'm happy for you...and for him." Verica managed to reply before breaking down. She put her hand in front of her mouth to muffle her whimper as she closed her eyes. She didn't dare look at Carly now, but if she had, she would have seen a mortified look on her face.

"Oh my God. Verica, you..."

"I-I'm hap-py for you...Carly." Verica repeated between sobs.

"You love him..." Carly whispered as realization dawned on her.

Verica bowed her head in shame. She didn't want to feel like this all over again, especially not in front of her.

"Verica I'm sorry. Oh, I'm so stupid. I didn't mean to...oh God, I'm sorry."

The young monk didn't say anything. She just concentrated not to cry, but there was no way to stop her emotions.

"I'm sorry Verica." Carly repeated as she put her hand on her shoulder.

To Verica, it felt like an insult. She wanted neither her pity nor her comfort. She wanted nothing from this woman. Carly felt it and removed her hand. They both stayed like this a long moment in awkward silence. Eventually, Verica calmed herself and looked up at the blond.

"My reaction is childish, I'm sorry. If he loves you, then I have nothing else to say. Besides, he's my teacher. It was only a fantasy, nothing would have ever happened. If he can be happy with you, then I suppose I can't ask for more. This man has been alone for too long. He needs someone to take care of him." She said, impressed with her self-control not to rip Carly's heart out.

Carly smiled warmly at her young friend. "You're so sweet Verica. I'm truly sorry. It was not my intention to hurt you."

'You did anyway.' She thought.

"I'm probably not the person you want to be with presently..." Carly said awkwardly as she rubbed the nape of her neck.

"I would prefer to be alone, yes." Verica replied, honestly.

"This is such a mess..." Carly sighed. "I would like to make things right for you, I swear. I know it's not easy...oh God I'm so sorry." She repeated again, as if saying sorry many times would help the girl forgiving her. She sighed again and rubbed her forehead. "I really liked you Verica. I didn't want to make you live this. It's not easy..."

'I don't want your sympathy. I don't want anything from you. Just leave and die for all I care.' She thought.

"It's ok, really. I'm a big girl. That's how life works. You don't always get what you want. I'll handle it." Verica said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Carly." She said, trying to keep her anger at bay. "It's ok. I assure you."

They stayed in silence a long moment. Somehow, Carly didn't seem to be able to leave her there. If Verica wasn't so angry at her, she could have almost admired her concern.

"You know, I too thought I could handle it. I mean, when Kenneth rejected me the first time. I kept being his friend, but every day I spent with him hurt me even more. I tried to live with it, but eventually I couldn't take it anymore." She turned toward Verica with a sad expression. "I don't want you to live what I lived."

'Then you should have stayed away.' Verica thought bitterly.

"I'm probably not the right person to help you right now..." Carly started hesitantly. "...but if I may share my experience with you, let me just say that there is nothing worse than living with the person you love while you know he doesn't love you back."

"Yes...I think I'm starting to understand that." Verica replied. Her head was still bowed. She only half listened to what Carly was saying. She felt confused and dizzy. She wanted Carly to leave her alone, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to tell her.

"What I'm about to say may sound absurd...it sounded absurd when I thought about it 8 years ago. But believe me when I say it's probably the best solution to your problem."

"What are you talking about?" Verica said in an exasperated tone. Why was she still talking to her?

"Maybe you should leave."

"Leave?" Verica almost yelled as her head snapped up to look at Carly. What the hell was wrong with this woman? She came here and made out with the man she loved and she's telling HER to leave?

"You can ignore me if you want." Carly said defensively. "I understand I have no right to give you advice. But I think you should consider it. I'm speaking from experience Verica. If you really love him, then staying here will only hurt you more."

"How dare you say such things?" Verica said as she did her best not to yell. "This is your fault. You're the one who just came back here and made him fall for you out of nowhere! Why should I leave? From my point of view, it's you who should leave!" She finished as she got up and glared at the woman.

"I understand your anger. But as you said earlier, he's your teacher." Carly said with a sad expression, looking at Verica with pity. "You are a child to him. You'll always be."

"Why are you saying that..." Verica whispered as she turned around and started the cry again.

"I'm not inventing anything. It's you who said it. You said it was only a fantasy. Nothing would have ever happened anyway. Those are your words." Carly said calmly as she got up as well.

Verica shook as she hugged herself. She did say that, didn't she? It was something to say it; it was something else to have someone else throw it in your face.

"It's not easy to accept. And again, I know I have no rights to give you advice or to comfort you about the situation. But I'm telling you, the world is big and there is so much to see. You could start your quest to become a champion, leave the Abbey, see the world, meet new people..."

Verica put aside her sadness and her anger for a moment as her proposition sank in and aroused a hint of curiosity in the back of her head.

"But I'm not ready to become a champion yet. I'm just 24." She said, still turning her back on Carly.

"You don't have to go to Juno right away. You could travel, find companions and have adventures. It would help you forget and it would give you time to get things straight in your head, without Kenneth's constant presence to depress you and hurt you everyday..."

Verica turned around to look at Carly a long moment. The more she talked, the more her idea sounded like a good one. To see the world, see new things, new people...

Being away from Kenneth for a while...

It wasn't such a bad idea. Beside, her training was over in theory. Kenneth himself had said that she was ready yesterday. Although it didn't mean that he would accept the idea so easily.

"I doubt Kenneth will agree to this. He will say I'm not ready."

"Do you think you are?" Carly asked with a smile.

"...Yes." Verica replied after a moment of reflection.

"Then he will have no choice but to acknowledge it." Carly said.

Verica just stayed there, staring at Carly. A moment ago she was ready to kill this woman. Now here she was, offering her what was probably the best way to heal her wounded heart. If she wasn't so angry at her, she would have thanked her. She wasn't completely convinced this was the right way to handle her problem. But the idea of leaving this Abbey and seeing the world was a very thrilling prospect.

"You should really think about it, Verica." Carly said. "Again, I'm really sorry. I didn't know your feelings. I wouldn't have done...what I did if I had known. But it's too late now." She looked away with a sad expression. "I'm truly sorry. I wish you won't hate me for it...but I'll understand if you do. I hope at least that my suggestion will help you."

She bowed to the young woman and walked away, leaving Verica alone with her thoughts. A lot of thoughts.

But as Verica stayed behind with so many things to think about, she couldn't see the devilish smile dancing on Carly's lips as she walked away...

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><p>Thank you for reading :) Sorry it's so short. Next chapters ought to be more eventfull I hope.<p> 


	21. 5:Defying Authority

I hope things are not going to fast. I mean the story...not my updates :P

On a side note: Is there anyone one out there who can point me a good-friendly-English RO server? Preferably middle rate, 3rd class or not I don't care. With a free warp system, quests and active command too, but I'm being very picky now :P The one I was playing on was abandoned. Everyone spoke Portuguese anyway. Now, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Portuguese...I simply didn't understand a damn word of what they were saying :P

I'm just way too lazy to check on the tops RO servers website lol. if anyone as a suggestion it would be very appreciated. I haven't played RO in such a long time. I miss it.

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><p><strong>Chapter 21 Defying Authority <strong>

Kenneth was sitting at one of the many tables of the sanctuary with his supper after a long, unproductive but exhausting day. He sat with Bashu as they talked about trivial things, but his mind was not really into the conversation.

All he could think about was Carly. He was very ashamed of himself for what he had done at the training ground this morning, fleeing like this to avoid her. He simply didn't have the courage to confront her. Not yet. Not when the previous events were so fresh in his memory. He was too afraid to lose it again; to want her and not being able to put a stop to it like he did yesterday. He felt weak and fragile like he was 16 again, when the body of a woman was the greatest and most interesting mystery this world had ever carried. It was highly disturbing...and embarrassing.

And as if all this mess was not enough, there was Verica, whose behavior had been more than abnormal this morning.

Women...why were they so determined to fuck with his head?

Then, someone sat in front of him. He looked up to see it was Verica, and his heart sank in his chest the moment he saw her. She looked wasted, her eyes red like she'd been crying. Something was definitely wrong with her and it seemed more important than he thought. But he knew her well enough to know that simply asking her what was wrong would only give him a lie in response.

"Hey Verica!" Bashu said joyfully.

"Hi Bashu." She replied before smiling lightly at her sensei and starting to eat her food.

They continued to eat and talk. Most of the conversation was filled by Bashu. It was almost like he was talking to himself. Kenneth and Verica were too busy glancing at each other while they thought the other was not looking. Bashu was completely oblivious as he just kept talking, sometime receiving at nod from the girl in front of him and a chuckle from his friend.

Then Bashu stopped his monologue. The table fell into a comfortable silence. At least it was comfortable for Bashu. For Kenneth it felt awkward and for Verica it simply put more pressure on her. She'd spent the rest of the day thinking about what Carly had said. She had decided to talk about it with Kenneth after all. It was now or never...

"Sensei?"

"Hm?" Kenneth replied as his fork stopped midway to his mouth. He looked up to her with a smile.

Verica held her breath as she stared at him a moment. His light beard was longer than usual, she noticed. Obviously he had been lazy the past few weeks. His black hair were messy, like usual. Kenneth was not the kind of man to brush his hair in the morning, or at any time of the day for that matter. Her eyes settled on his lips and she felt her stomach twist when all she could think about was the fact that those lips would never belong to her. She looked up at his eyes; his pale blue eyes that would never look at her the way they looked at Carly yesterday.

As she stayed there, in front of him, her heart pounding in excitement and in pain, she realized that she would never be able to stay here any longer with him. She wouldn't be able to stand his innocent touch, while for her it was everything but innocent. And most of all, she wouldn't be able to look at him in the arms of another woman. She was not going to stay here and be forced to watch this. Time was to important decision, and hers was made.

"I've been meaning to ask you something." She started.

"You know you can ask me whatever you want Verica." He replied with this warm smile of his, his fork still in midair.

"I thought about what you said yesterday, when we practised asura strike." She continued.

"And what did I say again?" Kenneth asked, a little confused.

"You said that my time as a monk was almost over and that you had nothing left to teach me."

"I...did say that." Kenneth slowly said with a frown as his hand holding his fork lowered to the table.

"And I think you're right. I feel like I've learned everything I could here. I think I need to see new things, outside the Abbey; experience things that I can't do here." She said, forcing herself to look at him in the eyes. She had made up her mind. She had to show him that this was what she wanted and that she was ready. "What I'm trying to say is...I would like to leave, sensei. I would like to travel to Juno to become a champion." She finished with a small smile.

Everything went silent to Verica and Kenneth's ears as she saw his eyes widen and his jaw drop slightly. They didn't even heard Bashu next to them saying what a great news this was. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Verica saw his expression change from astonishment, to incomprehension, to something else that she wasn't quite able to put a word on, but it looked something like anger.

"You're kidding, right?" Kenneth said as he frowned more intensely, his voice holding no hint of compassion or warmth like it usually did.

"No, I'm serious." Verica replied as her smile faded from her features.

"You really have some nerves, brat." Kenneth said with a dark chuckle. Verica froze on her seat. He hadn't called her "brat" in a very long time. The way he said it made her feel weak, little and dominated.

"I-I just-"

"I see your talent as gotten to your head." He interrupted her. "You're 24 years old. Do you even realize how absurd what you just said is?"

"But Kenneth, you were only 25 when you left." Bashu said in confusion. He didn't understand his friend's reaction.

Kenneth turned toward Bashu and glared at him, letting him know that he didn't care for his opinion and that he should mind his own business. The man returned his attention to his meal.

Verica looked at Kenneth in bemusement. Was he really going to refuse? She saw him resting his elbow on the table and rubbing his temples as he sighed heavily. He looked up at Verica with a grave expression. "I don't know what's with you girl, but what you're saying doesn't make sense. You're not ready to leave."

"Sensei, please, listen to me." Verica said in a desperate tone. "I know you think I'm not ready, but you should try to see things from my point of view. I have enough of staying here. I want to see the world, can't you understand that?"

Kenneth didn't reply. He just kept looking at her, his face a perfect display of lack of emotions. Verica knew this expression by now. It usually meant that he was not listening to you, lost in his thoughts. But if he was biting the inside of his lips at the same time, like now, it meant he was getting worked up and doing his best not to let it show. She took a very smooth tone, making sure not to arouse his anger by yelling at him. Although she wasn't sure why he was getting upset like this.

"I need to leave sensei. You said it yourself that I was almost ready. The training I lack, I can do it myself easily. What I lack is experience. "She looked away shyly as she let her heart speak for herself. "You've always been there for me. You took care of me like I was your own blood, and I'm grateful to you. But there comes a time when...children have to part from their parents. "She felt like throwing up at the comparison. Kenneth was clearly not a father to her, but right now the metaphor was appropriate.

"I need to do this. I need to do things on my own. See what I'm capable of. I need to fly with my own wings. I'm ready for this. I know I am. I wish you could see that." She finished.

Kenneth let out a long and exasperated sigh as he closed his eyes and shook his head. "You're just a child..." Verica's eyes narrowed at his words. "Yes, I said 'child'" Kenneth continued, knowing perfectly well that using that word would only anger her. But he didn't really care at the moment. "You don't understand all the implications of what you're asking."

"I'm an adult sensei and I understand perfectly well the-"

"I don't know why I'm even discussing this with you." He interrupted her again. His voice was calm and overbearing, but she could clearly see in his eyes that he was upset. "I'm your teacher and only I can give you the permission to leave for Juno. I'm sorry, but the answer is no."

"But sensei-"

"This discussion is over." He snapped, raising his voice a little louder to make his point. "And I don't want to hear about it again. My decision is final."

Then he fell silent and focused his attention back to his food, clearly showing her that he would not elaborate on the subject any longer. Verica was stunned at first, but quickly she felt rage rising in her chest. How dare he treat her like that? This man was so full of himself! He was going to force her to stay here? With him and Carly? Oh no. Everything but that. She had made up her mind! She didn't even understand why he was so fiercely against her choice to leave! She wasn't going to accept it just like that!

She got up and smashed her hands on the table, startling everyone around them. "What the fuck is wrong with you!" She yelled. Kenneth stared up at her in surprise. "You're the one who doesn't understand anything! If you weren't my teacher, I would beat the shit out of you right here and now!"

Kenneth was about to speak but she wouldn't let him.

"You're the most infuriating man in all creation! You're a jerk! The worst jerk in all the history of jerks!" She yelled. She realized that she sounded very childish, but she couldn't care less. "I don't even understand your reaction and you wouldn't even explain it to me! It's just 'no, deal with it'? You confuse the hell out of me and I'm really sick of it! I'm sick of everything related to you!" She finished as she kicked her chair and left the sanctuary with heavy step. Kenneth got up from his seat in a heartbeat

"Verica! Come back here!" He called her in a tone that sent a shiver of fear down Verica's spine, but she kept walking away. Kenneth sighed heavily before slouching back down on his chair.

Bashu looked at his friend with a frown. "You really screwed up on that, Kenneth."

"Did I ask for your opinion?" Kenneth spat.

"Now now, don't pour your anger on me. Why are you even so angry anyway?"

"I'm not angry."

"You clearly are." Bashu said with a chuckle. "Look, I don't agree with you. I think she's ready to leave. But you're her teacher: you're the one to decide. But if you really don't want her to go, you should at least sit with her and explain why."

"What do you mean?"

"Explain to her why you think she's not ready, with good arguments. Verica is a rational girl and she will understand if you explain it to her." Bashu explained.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Kenneth said with a sigh. "It's just that it came out of nowhere! All of a sudden, just like that, she wants to leave? I was not prepared for this! I just...I don't know. I panicked."

"Yes, and now you have to pay for it. You'll have to talk to her while she's angry as fuck. I wouldn't want to be at your place." Bashu snorted.

Kenneth pushed his plate away from him and let out a very exasperated groan before bashing his head repeatedly on the table, earning a very confused look from the other monks around him.

"You know, sometimes I really don't understand you Kenneth." Bashu said as he shook his head and laughed.

"I wish I understood myself..." Kenneth replied after smacking his head one last time on the table.

Women...why were they so damn complicated to deal with?

* * *

><p>Verica ran straight to the training ground after leaving the sanctuary. She felt like punching someone and obviously it showed, because the people she crossed while going there gave her strange looks.<p>

She was grateful to the fact that no one was at the training ground at the moment. She spotted a wooden dummy and started punching it, evacuating her anger on it. She had forced herself not to stay angry at Kenneth earlier when she came to ask him about leaving. Her fear had somewhat overcame her fury. But what he said aroused her temper and now she found herself even more pissed off than she was this morning.

What was wrong with him anyway? Why didn't he want her to leave? She was ready! She knew she was. He was just being a jerk, that's all!

Of course she realized that her reasons to leave were probably not good reasons. If it wasn't for Carly, she would have probably stayed here a bit longer before leaving. But despite that, she really was thrilled by the idea of travelling around Rune Midgard. It was something she had often dreamt about while she lived at the church. She was not scared at all. She knew she could handle it.

After an hour punching the dummy, she realized it wasn't helping her much. But she kept punching it anyway, not knowing what else to do.

That is until she felt this familiar presence approaching her. She stopped a second, but decided to ignore him. She was way too angry right now. It wasn't a good idea to talk to him. Maybe he would get the message and leave her alone.

But of course it wasn't going to be so easy.

Kenneth walked toward her and stopped a few feet away, but she kept ignoring him, punching the dummy like her life depended on it.

"Hum, can...can I talk to you a second." Kenneth finally said after a long, awkward silence.

"Sure." Verica replied, still attacking the doll with her fists.

"I hum..." He walked beside her to her right. "I'm really sorry for the way I reacted Verica. It was very unprofessional." he said.

"Sure was." She said quickly.

"Please understand me. It really came out of nowhere."

She just kept beating the dummy and ignored him. He sighed deeply. This was not going to be pleasant.

"Look, let's talk about it-"

"I thought you didn't want to hear about it again." Verica spat.

"I know, I got carried away. I'm sorry. You're a clever girl Verica and we are both grown up adults-"

"Are you sure? That wasn't what you seemed to think earlier." Verica interrupted him. He paused, but ignored her comment.

"...We are both adults, so let's have a mature and logical discussion about this, shall we?"

Verica glanced at him from the corner of her eyes as she gave a very devastating blow to the dummy's head, sending it flying a few meters away. She glared at her sensei before resuming her "training" by punching what was left of the doll, under Kenneth's exasperated stare and without answering his question. He didn't wait for her to reply anyway.

"You made you point saying that you wanted to leave. You want to prove yourself, I can understand that." He said calmly.

"Oh really? It sure didn't seem that way back at the sanctuary." She said.

Kenneth stared at Verica, doing his best not to yell, but she was making it very hard with her witty comments. And the sound of her fist hitting the doll with a steady rhythm was like a hit on his head every time. "What I don't understand though, is-" He stopped and grabbed her fist on its way to the doll. "For God's sake! Could you please stop that?!" He yelled.

Verica glared at her sensei as she swung her arm out of his grip. She crossed her arms and sighed in exasperation. She really wasn't in the mood right now. Even the most beautiful of his smile wouldn't be enough to make her anger disappear at the moment.

"Thank you..." Kenneth sighed again. Verica just kept staring at him like he was the most despising man on earth. Maybe he was, she wasn't sure of anything anymore now.

"What I don't understand is why you want to leave now." Kenneth resumed. "I mean, what's so urgent? What happened all of a sudden that you want to leave so badly?"

"I..." She didn't know what to reply to this. Honestly, she wanted to tell the truth. She just felt like telling him how much she loved him and that seeing him with Carly was unbearable to watch for her. But just thinking about it made her whole body tense in extreme stress and anxiety. Why did he have to fall in love with that...slutty pulpy blond? She hated her so much...she hated him even more. Why was he doing this to her? It was so unfair. She didn't even have a chance. Why was she younger? Why was he her teacher? Why was everything against her in this?

"Well, I can see you don't have any good reasons, apparently." Kenneth sighed after waiting for her answer a long moment.

"You wouldn't understand..." Verica whispered.

"Then explain it to me Verica. I like to think I'm not completely dumb." Kenneth replied as he looked at her in exasperation. It was getting late, the sun was down and the day had been long and emotionally exhausting for him. He knew his patience was thin right now and he suddenly wished he had waited tomorrow before confronting her. But he just hated it so much when she was angry at him. He didn't want to leave things like this for too long.

"Maybe you have a too high opinion of yourself." She said coldly as she looked at him in the eyes.

Kenneth didn't even see the insult in there right away. His brain just stayed stun, his eyes locked on her expression. The way she was looking at him was...intimidating. Hell, he was being intimidated by a girl 11 years his junior now. Maybe his opinion of himself really WAS too high after all. But he quickly recovered, brushing away her insult as he tried to stay calm and composed. She was clearly very angry at him, and he understood why. Now he had to make her understand his decision and, hopefully, calm her. But that was going to be hard. Somehow, seeing Verica angry always tended to make him angry too.

"Let's see things rationally, will you?" He said as he sighed and crossed his arms. "You're 24 years old. You've been training for 8 years now. In general, people train 10 to 20 years before leaving for Juno. So as you can see, for you to leave after such a short amount of time is clearly not a good idea." He explained under Verica's glare.

"Alright. I see you point. But how many monks mastered spirit sphere's throw at the age of 21 after only 5 years of training?" She asked, not doing any effort at hiding her pride.

"Well..."

"And how many monks could summon a spirit sphere after only 2 years?"

"...Not a lot. No one before you, from what I know..."

"Then I think comparing me to other monks is not the right way to look at things." She said as she turned toward the dummy and started to punch it again.

Kenneth sighed as he rolled his eyes. It was true that people generally summoned their first spirit spheres after 3 to 4 years of training. And yes, it was true that she was gifted with incredible talent. But he wasn't going to admit that to her now. It wouldn't really serve his cause.

"Despite that, you've never been alone before. I mean, you never had to take care of yourself on your own. I'm not sure it's a good idea to just let you leave like this."

"If I'm to learn to take care of myself alone, I have to actually BE alone at some point, sensei!" She spat, her voice growing louder every time she spoke." This is not something I can learn with you and definitely not here!"

"But you've never been outside before!" Kenneth said, trying to make her understand how absurd and dangerous her idea was. "The only thing you know from the outside world is the prontera forest! I can't just...leave you alone in a world you don't know!"

"Then why didn't you bring me outside before?!" She yelled as she stopped punching her dummy to look at him a moment. "Mathias brought you on travel many times when you were in training. Why didn't you do the same thing with me?"

Kenneth looked at her in surprise for a moment before bowing his head a little with a strange expression on his face. "That...it was different..."

"Why sensei? I really don't understand that! The problem of me never being in the outside world wouldn't have been a problem if you had just brought me somewhere!" She said, poking his chest with her finger. It made his head snap back up to look at her, anger evident in his eyes. Obviously he didn't like having his chest poked like this.

"The problem is not there Verica." He started. But she interrupted him again.

"Just answer me for once! Tell me the truth! Why didn't you do like Mathias did with you!" She yelled as she pushed on his shoulder angrily. She was driving him over the edge of his composed demeanor, she could see it. And she just loved it. She loved having an effect on him like this.

"Because I didn't want to teach you the way Mathias taught me!" He yelled. "I was not going to...be like him..." He continued hesitantly in a lower tone, like he wished he could take back what he just said. "Being away, always traveling, is not an appropriate environment for a kid to learn! I would have preferred staying here in the Abbey, believe me. It was best for you to train here." He finished as he took a step toward Verica, engulfing her in his exhilarating presence and this authority radiating around him. She felt excited, almost drunk. She was so angry at him, but at the same time his presence and proximity still had this incredible effect on her.

"That's bullshit!" She yelled, staring at him right in the eyes. "I bet you were just too lazy!"

"I'm your teacher Verica!" He said, doing his best not to yell in her face. "I decide what is good and what is bad. What is best and what is not! That's how it works!"

"Yeah, well, maybe I would have been better off with Mathias as a teacher!" She yelled, her face only a few inches away from his.

Kenneth eyes' widen as his head moved back a little. She couldn't tell if what she said hurt him, or angered him. Maybe both. It was probably just an illusion, but the blue of his eyes seemed to darken all of a sudden. Obviously she'd touched a very sensible cord. She shrank under his gaze, unable to move by fear to make him lose the small parcel of calm he still had. Even his presence felt different. It felt heavy and made her feel anguished. She saw his fist tightening. For a moment she thought he was going to punch her. But he simply leaned toward her, breathing heavily and jaw clenched. She felt trapped, like she was looking at an avalanche and she knew there was no way she could escape from it. He looked at her in the eyes and she felt naked...vulnerable. He could have done anything to her at that moment and she simply wouldn't have had the presence of mind to react. Her knees shook when she felt his breath on her face.

"Then maybe I should have left you in Prontera." He whispered between clenched teeth.

Verica opened her mouth to say something, but her throat tightened and no sound came out. She just stared at him, shaking and feeling a bit dizzy. She felt like crying, but she'd already cried so much because of him. She didn't want to cry anymore. She didn't even understand how she felt anymore. She was angry, sad, hurt and needy, all at the same time. But to see Kenneth so angry was a small victory for her. She could make him feel a bit of what she was feeling. A small revenge, but a revenge nonetheless.

Then Kenneth let out a long, shaking sigh as he closed his eyes and bowed his head. He turned around and put his hands on top of his head as he walked around, taking deep breaths like he was trying to evacuate his anger by his mouth. He rubbed his head, running his fingers in his hair and making them even messier than they already were. He stayed like this a long moment, his back to Verica. Then he put his hands on his hips and turned around, but kept his eyes closed.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I didn't mean that, and you know it. I'm sorry."

Verica was really impressed by the way he controlled himself. A few seconds ago he was obviously ready to erupt in a surge of fury. Now he simply looked upset. Even his presence felt like usual now.

"Alright." He sighed as he finally opened his eyes too look at her. "I'll admit that maybe I should have brought you on travel before. I'm sorry I didn't. My inexperience and...my fear to be the kind of teacher Mathias has been took the better of me. I apologize for it."

How could he be so calm now? How did he manage to regain his self control just like that by running his hand through his hair and breathing out? Why did he have to be so rational and composed while she was so furious? Seeing him regaining his control so easily like this angered her even more! She didn't even listen to what he said. She was angry and she hated to be angry. It was such a shitty feeling. It was not fair that he was able to brush away his rage just like that! She wanted him to be as angry as she was! To feel what she felt! She wanted to see him in the same desperate state that she was!

"But what is done is done Verica." Kenneth continued. "So let's consider the facts. Even if I admit that you're indeed ready to take care of yourself in the outside world and that it's true that you're very talented, it doesn't change anything to the fact that, in terms of skills and power, you're far from the level you're supposed to be when you leave for Juno. I don't think you would succeed in becoming a champion right now anyway."

"I could still try!" She snapped. "So what if it doesn't work? I'll just train more and try again! Even if I stay here 10 more years, there will still be experience I don't have because I've always stayed here!"

"True, but does it really have to be now? Do you really need to leave right now? I don't understand why you can't wait another year or two?" Kenneth asked, his incomprehension evident on his face.

"Why not? Now is as good a time as any! Really, it looks to me you simply don't WANT me to leave!"

Kenneth seemed surprised for a moment but remained silent. Then he shook his head. "That's ridiculous. Did you even listen to anything of what I just said?"

"Kss, whatever!" She said as she turned back toward the training dummy and started punching it again.

"Verica!" He yelled, making her stop in surprise. Obviously his anger had not completely disappeared. "Stop ignoring me like that. I have enough of your childish manners! This only proves me you're not mature enough to leave."

"Whatever!" She yelled back as she punched the dummy again and again. "This discussion is going nowhere. You just won't see what's in front of you! What I even see in you is beyond me!"

"...What the hell are you blabbering about?" Kenneth said in confusion.

Verica gave a frustrated groan as her fist collapsed loudly with the wooden doll, breaking it into pieces. Kenneth took a step back in surprise. Those dolls were not supposed to break so easily. It made him realized how upset she really was. He had to admit he didn't really help her regaining her calm though. He was not particularly good at controlling his emotions himself...no wonder she was like this too. Like teacher like student they say.

Verica looked at the scraps of wood on the ground, panting heavily and her fists shaking. She turned toward Kenneth with a glare.

"You are so dense." She whispered.

Kenneth just stared at her, his brow furrowed in incomprehension. Verica sighed and cracked the joints of her fingers.

"Whatever Kenneth. Forget it."

The man froze when he heard his name leaving her lips. She hadn't called her Kenneth in such long time. It felt odd and...unsettling. The way she said it, it made him feel...younger. Or rather it made her look older. He couldn't quite tell if he liked it or not...

She looked up at him with rage. All she wanted to do is punch some sense into him. She wanted to make him see the obvious, without saying it, but she especially wanted to punch him. She started to laugh at the idea.

"What's so funny?" He asked, even more confused.

"We didn't finish our training this morning, sensei." She said as she took a step away from him. "My training dummy is no good anymore. I need a new one."

Kenneth's eyes narrowed. "There are plenty of wooden dolls around you." He replied coldly.

"Yes, but I'd rather have one that can fight back." She replied as she took her battle stance.

'And one I actually have a grudge against.' She thought.

"You're kidding right? This is obviously not a good idea in your current state-"

"MY current state? I think we are both in the same boat sensei. So let's just settle this in the old fashion way. If I beat you, you'll have no choice but to acknowledge that I'm ready to leave for Juno."

Kenneth stared at her in disbelief. "You want to bet your departure on your capacity to beat me? You've lost your mind! Do you even realize who you're talking to?" He laughed.

But his laugh was cut short by a punch coming for his nose. He dodged and took a few steps back.

"Scared to get beaten by a little girl?" She spat.

Kenneth watched her with concern, but also with quickly rising annoyance.

"This is not funny Verica. We should stop this before one of us does something they'll regret." He said, trying to remain calm, but the sight of her furious glare and her fists ready to punch him was not helping him.

"You said I lacked skills and power sensei. Let me prove you how wrong you are." She spat.

Kenneth looked at her and didn't move, feeling that his boiling point would be reached very soon. His patience really was getting thinner and thinner every second. Then she summoned a sphere and quickly threw it at him. He stepped to the side to avoid it.

"Come on, sensei. I'm just dying to kick your ass." Verica said in a low, threatening tone. There were no more coherent thoughts in her brain. All she could think about was that she needed to pour her anger on something, and Kenneth was a very tempting target at the moment. She just wanted to make him pay for those shitty feelings she had to carry around because of him. She wanted to show him exactly how angry she really was. She also wanted to kiss him and feel his hands on her like they were on Carly yesterday, but she could only follow one emotion at a time, and right now her anger was stronger.

Verica's words, actions and insolent attitude sent Kenneth over the edge again, and this time there was no going back to calmness. He narrowed his eyes at her and clenched his fists. That girl could be so insolent and infuriating. She needed to be taught a lesson. What a coincidence; he WAS her teacher. Teaching her lessons was his job.

"Your insubordination is really getting on my nerve girl. I don't remember teaching you to be so impudent!" He parted his legs and bent his knees, bracing himself for battle as he saw her smiling in satisfaction.

"Punish me then." She said before a blush appeared on her cheeks. She didn't mean it like that but it had sounded sooo dirty. Obviously he got the reference too, because she saw his expression change for a split second. But he immediately brushed it off, ignoring the innuendo, for the sake of his sanity.

"You want to play it like this?" He said, cracking his fingers. "Fine, but I will not be held responsible for any broken parts of your body afterwards."

* * *

><p>Ohohoh, look at that little cliffy, he's so cute :P Thank you for reading :)<p> 


	22. 5:Out of control

Another chapter, yay :D

I already said this, but I'm going to say it again: Fucking fighting scene, y u no easier to write?!

URG!

With that being said, good reading :P

Oh and 50 reviews, YAY :D

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 22 Out of control <strong>

Verica and Kenneth both stood in the middle of the training ground; the full moon casting a blue light on the teacher and student staring at each other like lions watch their prey. Both had their knees bent and their fists ready in front of them. No one was around at that time of the night and the silence was heavy. Only the wind blowing through the tree leaves could be heard. That, and the breathing of a young woman shaking in anger and anticipation.

Kenneth took a step to the side, which was mirrored on the opposite side by Verica. He summoned 5 spirit spheres and entered fury state before summoning his spheres again. Verica mimicked him, but slower, since she could only summon one sphere at once. She also casted blessing and agility on herself. Kenneth didn't bother. He didn't think he would need it anyway.

They circled each other a moment. A monk usually waited for the enemy to make the first move, exploiting their impatience. Entering battle level-headed was an advantage easily gained for a monk, whose mind was supposed to be the epitome of calm and peace. Inevitably, when two monks battle each other, the advantage goes to the one who waits, which is generally the more experienced too.

Or in this case, the less angry.

And so, after long minutes of watching each other's movements carefully, Verica lost her patience first. She ran toward her sensei, fist ready to punch him. Kenneth moved back, avoiding each blow like it was the easiest thing in the world. He swung his arm in front of him to deflect her punch and kicked her in the stomach, making her stagger as she backed off. She stared up at him, even angrier than she was before. Kenneth simply took his battle stance back, forcing himself not to smile at her restlessness.

She tried again to punch him in the face, but he simply tilted his head to dodge. She repeated the operation; punches following one another with amazing speed for a monk of her level. But Kenneth was a champion. It was sad, but there was simply no way she could win this. He dodged every single hit, letting her wearing herself out on her own.

He caught her fist, then the other one. With both of her hands trapped, she jumped and kicked him in the stomach with both of her foot. But Kenneth moved back and let go of her hands at the same time, receiving only half of the power held in the kick. Verica landed on her feet and attacked him again immediately, adrenaline rushing in her vein and forcing her to act. She gave him a series of fast punches, but he blocked each one of them, matching her speed with ease.

She crouched and swept her leg toward him. He jumped to avoid it and kicked her in the face at the same time. He landed in front of her but jumped away quickly. Verica fell on her rear and held her face a moment. Kenneth stared down at her as he rubbed his stomach a little, feeling a slight discomfort from her earlier kick.

Verica turned toward him as she got up, rubbing her jaw and glaring at her teacher. Kenneth cracked his neck and hoped from one foot to the other as he met her glare.

"You asked for it." He simply said.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her rising anger. She knew she was not in the ideal emotional state for a fight. She had to calm down and see things rationally. She could feel the adrenaline and knew she had to control it. But it had never been so hard to stay calm before. She concentrated on her spiritual energy, feeling it flowing inside her like a stream. Somewhat it relaxed her. She took one last deep breath before taking her battle stance again. Kenneth's eyes narrowed at her behavior's change, but he smiled inwardly. This could become interesting.

Verica looked at him carefully as she planned her strategy in her head. She knew she was at a disadvantage here. Kenneth was stronger, quicker and more experienced. The only advantage she had is that she knew him. She knew his weaknesses. At least that's what she would like to say. Truth be told, Kenneth wasn't called a genius for nothing. He simply had no weakness. His mind was a calculating machine when it came to combat. The moment you moved, he knew what you were going to do and knew exactly what to do to counter it. It was simply unfair. But in her case, there were two small weaknesses she might be able to exploit:

He always underestimates her.

He always goes easy on her.

Kenneth watched her and waited. He wanted to see what she was going to do next, knowing that she was at a disadvantage, so he gave her time to plan her next move. Wasn't he just too kind?

After a long pause, Verica ran toward him again and Kenneth snorted.

"A direct attack again? Get your shit together girl, I like to believe I taught you better than that."

But Verica disappeared from his sight in a second, using snap to reappear behind him. Kenneth immediately turned around and raised his arms to block her punch. But the punch never came. Instead she used snapped again, relocating her body to where she was before. Her feet dug in the dirt as she bent her knees and pushed herself off the ground quickly, jumping in the air with her fist directed at him. Kenneth was still turning around when her fist collapsed with his face.

Still in mid-air, she spun on herself with her leg stretched. She hit the back of his head with her heel and used it as a support to propel herself, landing a few feet away from her teacher. The moment she touched the ground, she quickly turned around to face him, her fist ready in front of her.

Kenneth was bent over, one knee to the ground and his elbow resting on his other knee. He laughed quietly and he rubbed his jaw. He slowly got up as he rolled his shoulders to make them crack loudly and turned around to face his student with a smile. It was not his usual warm smile, but it was not a fake one either.

"Much better." He said as he looked at her. She could see an hint of mischievousness in his eyes. Obviously he was enjoying this too much.

As she was gazing into his eyes, he put one foot in front of the other and spun around as he stretched his arm. Verica recognized the move and stepped aside just in time to avoid the 5 spirit spheres flying her way. She ran toward him again and raised her leg high in the air to try and kick his face. Kenneth bent to avoid it and turned to allow himself to kick her as well. She jumped above his foot and threw her leg at his shoulder. He blocked with his arm and backed off. As Verica landed, she crouched low and tried to kick his foot. Her teacher got it out of the way just in time.

Before he could even consider counter attacking, she jumped in the air again, high above her sensei's head. She swooped down on him, heel ready to crush his skull as she yelled. He stepped aside and caught her leg with both hands. Using her momentum, he spun around and let go of her, sending her flying away.

She hit the wall of the Abbey, feet first. Without losing a moment and ignoring the pain in her legs, she pushed herself off the wall. She flew toward her teacher and threw her fist at him. He got the hit right on his temple and staggered away from her as she secured her feet back on the ground.

That was three hits on his head now. Verica couldn't stop the small parcel of pride from rising in her chest. She couldn't help but voice it too.

"I think you're too old for this sensei." She said.

Kenneth looked up at her, his smile nowhere to be seen.

"Alright girl." He said in a low tone. "This was funny, but I've had enough."

He ran toward her this time. When he was close enough, she tried to punch him. He avoided it and raised his leg at the same time to kick her in the chest, but Verica blocked with her arm. Kenneth immediately crouched and kicked her feet off the ground. She fell on her back and he raised his leg on top of her. He lowered his foot toward her stomach quickly, but she rolled to her side to avoid him. The earth under his foot cracked and dust rose from the ground. Verica got to her feet, noting how that kick would have hurt if it had hit her. But she didn't linger on her thoughts. After a few exchanges of punches, she managed to give Kenneth three blow on his stomach. Taking advantage of this, she used raging quadruple blow and raging trust. As he backed off, she threw her remaining spirit spheres at him in one swift movement.

Verica watched as her spheres flew toward him. He made no movement to avoid them. Instead, he closed his eyes and put his hand in from of him. Her spheres stopped in his palm as he spun on himself, making the spheres turn around him like they were his own. Verica's jaw dropped at the sight.

"How the hell did you do that?" She gasped.

"Just an adaptation of spiritual bestowment and spiritual sphere absorption." He said in a low voice as he opened his eyes.

"You mean you invented a new skill?" She said with a raised brow.

"I'm not called a genius just because it sounds cool, girl. There's some truth to it."

"This is unfair." She whispered.

"Then maybe you should give up. We already know how this will end, so let's just stop before you get crushed to the ground." He said, his voice holding no hint of amusement whatsoever. He could feel himself getting lost in this. If he kept fighting with her like that, he was really going to hurt her eventually. The way he swooped his foot down at her stomach scared him. If his foot had hit her, she would be in bad shape right now. As much as he wanted to teach her a lesson, things couldn't continue like this.

"Kss, you're so full of yourself!" She spat.

"I'm serious Verica." He said as he sighed. It seemed he had recovered some of his composure. How he could do this in the middle of combat while adrenaline pumped in his vein was beyond her. Maybe he didn't feel it like she did. "This could easily get out of hand. I'm warning you. My patience is limited right now. Don't push me over the edge, you'll regret it."

His tone was so controlling and threatening. It was a little bit disturbing that no matter how he talked, she always loved his voice. In all honesty, his commanding attitude was exciting. She felt ashamed of herself by the way his dominance aroused her, but now was not a good time to ponder on it.

Kenneth lowered his fists and stood nonchalantly before Verica. "Let's leave things as they are girl."

"No!" She yelled. "I don't give a fuck what you think. This combat is not over!" She still had so much anger inside herself. He hadn't even tasted half of it. She hadn't punched him hard enough yet to make him understand how pissed she was.

"Verica..." He said in an obvious warning.

"I think you're scared I'm actually going to beat you!" She said with a cocky smile. "You should stop talking and start hitting me like you actually mean it!"

"You don't know what you're asking for..."

"I want you to take me seriously!"

Kenneth didn't reply. He just stared at her, not impressed.

"I don't want to hurt you Verica. I've already hurt you enough." He said as he pointed to the bruise on her cheek caused by his foot.

"You don't know how right you are about that..." She whispered.

"...What do you mean?" Kenneth asked, obviously confused.

She didn't reply. She couldn't. She wanted to, but she couldn't. The words simply wouldn't leave her throat. She felt so stupid. It would be so simple to tell him. Explain it to him. He would understand. He always understands...

But telling him how she felt and why she was angry would drastically change their relationship forever. He would never look at her the same. Every innocent touch would become awkward and therefore be avoided. No more fingers on her chin, no more pat on her head, no more hug when she was sad. Everything would change.

But if she left, she wouldn't have to care about that. Maybe she could tell him. Then he would understand and let her leave.

No...of course not. He would say that her reasons are irrational and be even more against the idea of letting her leave. He would be disappointed in her by the way she let herself be controlled by her emotion... She didn't want him to be disappointed in her. She didn't want to appear weak in front of him. She didn't want him to know how shitty she felt and how hurt she was. She didn't want him to know she loved him and that being with him was the greatest blessing and yet the worst curse of her life.

She forced herself to stop thinking about all this, before she starts crying. She didn't want to deal with her feelings right now, and so she buried herself even deeper in her anger, glaring up at him as if he was her worst enemy. In a sense, he was.

"I'm not done with you. Take back your battle stance!" She commanded him.

"I don't understand Verica." He sighed. "What's the point of all this? You said that if you won, I would have no choice but to let you leave for Juno. I understand you want to prove yourself to me, but face it girl, there's no way you're winning this."

"I'm still going to try and enjoy every hit I land on you!"

"So that's what it's all about? Hitting me? Throwing your anger at me? Really girl, what a poor excuse of a monk you are. That's not how a monk handles his anger!" He spat. He was clearly not finding her attitude funny anymore.

"Oh yeah? I guess you're the one to blame for my lack of control over my emotions since YOU trained me. And obviously you're just SO good at keeping yours in check!"

That was another sensible cord she touched there she realized. She saw it in his eyes: a strange expression of anger, hurt and shame. They both knew it was true, and what was true always hurt more.

He struggled not to yell at her, taking deep breath to calm himself. He didn't want to prove her right by giving in to his hot temper...but she was making it so fucking difficult.

"We should really stop this before I...it goes out of control." He whispered, his eyes closed.

But as he was striving to keep his anger at bay, Verica ran toward him and directed a punch at his face. He felt it and blocked as his eyes shot open. She tried again to hit him, punch after punch. He blocked her as he moved back, feeling the adrenaline rushing back to his system.

"I know you're angry!" She said between pants as she kept attacking him. "Just let it out! You said I would regret it, but so far you're just talk! Make me regret it!"

Her attitude was suicidal. Kenneth was obviously close to lose it and she had no idea what he was going to do once he gave in to his fury. But she didn't care. She just wanted him to feel like she felt.

"Come on! Sensei! Fight back! Stop being so good! You know yo-"

She was interrupted by Kenneth's fist collapsing with her temple. It happened in a heartbeat and she didn't see it coming at all. The hit was so powerful she felt her skin crack under his hand. She was thrown to the ground as she gasped. She didn't understand how she managed to stay conscious with such a blow to her head. She looked up at him, a bit dizzy, and her blood froze in her vein. The way he glared at her was terrifying. Her muscles stopped working in fear and a very unpleasant chill ran up her spine. Her hand on her temple shook as she gazed into his eyes, unable to move or to look away.

It was only when he reached down to grab her throat that she snapped out of it. She backed off from him and got up clumsily. He took a step toward her and she tried to punch him in the chest. He caught her fist with one hand and threw his other fist at her temple, again. If he hadn't been holding her hand she would have hit the ground once more. He pulled on her wrist to straighten her in front of him and used Ki explosion. She staggered away and fell to one knee as her eyes squeezed shut in pain. She didn't have time to recover before she felt a strong hand holding her throat. Kenneth lifted her up the ground and forcefully threw her on the outer wall of the Abbey. The same as earlier, but this time she didn't have the reflex to land on her feet. Her back hit the wall with a loud sound of cracking rock.

She was about to collapse on the ground, but instead she found herself pressed against Kenneth's body, preventing her from falling. He caught her arm and spun her around behind him. She staggered away from him but managed to stay on her feet as she shakily wiped the blood around her nose. She then understood what he meant by "I don't want to hurt you." He obviously went easy on her before. This was the real Kenneth in front of her now. The one Mathias spoke of with pride. The one people feared. She had never feared him before, but right now there was nothing else she felt other than terror and panic.

He rushed to her again, landing 3 successful hit on her chest. Their gaze met and Verica's breath caught in her lungs. This was not the Kenneth she knew. His eyes were so cold, she could barely recognize him. Then he used raging quadruple blow on her. She fought for breath, but he didn't gave her time to recover. He used raging trust, tiger knuckle fist and finally chain crush combo. The 4 skills followed one another faster than she though humanly possible. As she backed off from him, feeling her whole body ached and her mind going numb, he summoned a spirit sphere before using palm push strike to her stomach.

Verica was knocked back and landed hard on the ground. Her back arched in pain as blood came out of her mouth in a dry cough. She opened her eyes to see her sensei above her, his feet on each side of her stomach. He was panting heavily, but more in anger than physical exhaustion. A small whimper passed her lips and she saw him hesitate a moment, as if seeing her like this somewhat woke him from his madness. She saw his eyes softened as he looked at her apologetically, but obviously still angry. He lowered himself to one knee on top of her, resting his arm on the other as he stared down at her.

"Did you get your lesson? Do you need more to understand, little girl?" He said between clenched teeth.

Verica glared at him. Who was he calling a little girl? Her anger overcame her fear a moment and without thinking, she threw her fist at his face. He didn't expect it and she got him right on his nose.

"Gah! Fucking b-"

She hit him again straight in the jaw. She was about to do it again but he caught both of her wrists firmly. She struggled in vain against him as she yelled in anger. She was panting heavily and the taste of blood in her mouth was making her lose her mind. She didn't even felt the small drops of blood falling from her sensei's nose to her cheek. Then he saw her eyes drift to his forehead.

He didn't have time to react. She yelled as her forehead collapsed with his with force. Kenneth let go of her wrists to hold his head as he whined. She sat up and backed off from her teacher a little, doing her best to ignore the pain in her entire body. With one foot, she pushed on his knee, making him bend over. She caught his left arm with both hands and stretched it out beside her to her left. She leaned on her side, hugging her teacher's arm against her. Kenneth came to his sense and found himself hunched over and kneeling. He looked up at Verica in confusion, wondering what exactly she was doing. She didn't look back at him though. She looked straight in front of her as she kept his arm in place.

She raised her leg up, pressing her thigh against his arm. Kenneth's eyes widen, but it was too late to react as he saw her push on his elbow with her thigh in one swift movement, holding his wrist above the ground and pulling. Kenneth's arm bent the wrong way and she heard his bone crack loudly, quickly followed by the scream of agony that came out of her teacher's throat.

Kenneth closed his eyes as he bowed his head in pain and dug his fingers in the dirt below him. The pain dulled his sense for a moment and he didn't even realize it when Verica let go of his broken arm to kick him in the chest and jump on him, pushing him on his back. Her own back ached terribly when she pushed herself off the ground, but her mind was too concentrated on Kenneth to acknowledge it. She sat on his stomach, her legs on each side of him, and caught him by the collar of his coat.

Then time stopped. Her brain resigned, surrendering to her anger as she raised her fist behind her to throw it at Kenneth's face. Her heart beat in her chest angrily. She didn't feel anything anymore. She just punched him, again and again, like it was the only thing she knew how to do. Oddly enough, he didn't make any effort to avoid her punches.

Then exhaustion took the better of her. With both of her hands holding his collar, she held him up, panting heavily. She looked down at him and saw blood coming out of his nose and mouth. He kept his head turned to the side as he coughed blood on the ground beside him.

She breathed heavily as she watched him in anger. Even after all this, she was still so furious. Furious because she loved him, because he would never love her back, because he wanted to force her to stay here and watch him with another woman. She was angry at herself for how foolish she had been to fall in love with him.

And as she watched him, all bloody and broken under her, she still found that he was the most handsome man she'd ever seen. As her adrenaline slowly drained out, she could feel the static under her skin his presence always caused and it excited her so much.

Why couldn't she forget all this? Why couldn't she be angry at him and simply hate him? Things would be so much simpler.

"W-well." Kenneth said in a rusty voice between coughs. His voice still held a hint of anger, but he had obviously regained control over himself. "I suppose we're even now."

Verica shook him as she glared down at him with tears in her eyes.

"This is entirely your fault!" She yelled. "You had it coming!"

"Ha! Yes! Of course!" He yelled back. Apparently his injuries didn't stop him from being angry. "And how is this my fault exactly?"

"It's because you're so dense!" She said, shaking him again. "And stupid! Brain dead! Idiot!"

"Is that the best you can do? I'm sure you can come up with better insults than that girl." He said, provoking her.

Verica's fist collapsed with his face again. "You're the worst teacher in all creation!" She yelled

Kenneth spat some blood again. "Yeah, 'cause you're just the perfect student." He replied sarcastically. He could have gotten out of her grasp easily, but he was just so exhausted mentally. He was angry, confused and in pain. He just wanted to lie down and stop dealing with all this. Things had gotten out of hands so much, he couldn't help but slap himself mentally at the way he lost control on her. But somehow he wasn't able to feel sorry. Presently, he was just angry at her. He was angry at her for making him angry. It was just so stupid. HE felt really stupid and immature.

Verica let out a long shaky sigh as she felt blood streaming down her temple and down her cheek. She looked at him in the eyes with a furious glare.

"If you'd just agreed to let me leave, none of this would have happen!" She said.

"Not this again." He said in an exasperated sigh. "You're being childish and irresponsible!" He yelled. "You can't leave! Why can't you understand that?"

"Then tell me why sensei!"

"I already told you!"

"No you didn't! Your arguments were rubbish!"

"You were just not listening to me you damn brat!"

"Stop calling me that!"

"I'll call you whatever I want! I'm your fucking teacher and you're supposed to fucking listen to me!"

"I'll listen to you once you told me why I can't leave!"

"Because you can't!"

"That's not a reason!"

"Oh for fuck's sake! You're such a nuisance!"

"Answer me!"

"Let go of me!"

"Tell me why I can't leave!"

"Verica th-"

"Tell me!"

"I-"

"TELL ME!"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

Kenneth's shout resonated through the abbey. Verica stared down at him with narrowed eye as he closed his, panting heavily.

"What do you mean 'you don't know'?" She asked.

"Verica..." He whispered in exasperation. "Put me down please."

"No! Answer me! I'm tired of you escaping my questions!" She yelled as she shook him again.

"What are you expecting me to tell you?"

"The truth!"

"I already told you the truth."

"Then explain it, because I sure don't understand it!"

Kenneth remained silent as he finally opened his eyes to look at her. They held so much confusion and pain. The blood caught in his beard made him look even more beaten than he really was.

"I wish I understood myself, Verica." He whispered.

Verica didn't move. She looked at him and waited for an explanation. He wasn't going to step away from this so easily, no matter how much he looked at her with puppy eyes. After a moment, he sighed and started laughing quietly. He didn't understand why he laughed though. His brain was doing funny things these days.

"What can I say?" He started, his voice low and soft. "I don't even understand my own reaction. When you came to me and said that you wanted to leave, my brain just stopped working. All I could think about was..."

He looked at her in the eyes and paused before sighing again.

"Look, Verica, it's getting late and we are both tired so-"

"Finish what you were saying." She whispered.

Kenneth looked at her with a blank expression. She could see he was hesitating. Words seemed to be on the tip of his tongue, but unable to pass his lips. She understood that all too well, but she was not going to move until he spoke. Finally he did, his voice barely above a whisper, as if someone was around and he didn't want them to hear.

"All I could think about was that if you leave..." He paused and closed his eyes. "I was going to miss you so much."

Verica froze on the spot. "What?"

"You heard me" He whispered. "Don't make me say it again." He opened his eyes to look to the side, like he was ashamed. "I'm a very selfish man when it comes to the people I love, Verica."

She let go of his collar, letting him fall on his back. He hissed in pain as he hit the ground.

They remained silent for what seemed like an eternity. Verica's anger vanished the moment he spoke. Now she simply felt confused and flustered. All this for that? All this argument, simply because he didn't WANT her to go? Why didn't he just say so?

"I'm really sorry Verica." He whispered as he looked up at the sky above him. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Kenneth gave a short chuckle. "Yes, of course. I just had to tell you 'I'm too much of a selfish bastard to let you leave. So you're going to stay here with me for the rest of your life because I can't stand the idea of being without you after all those years we spent together.' Yes, that would have been very mature."

Verica couldn't help but smile as a bright blush rose to her cheeks. She felt those familiar butterflies flutter in her stomach.

"You really mean that?"

"Mean what? That I'm a selfish bastard?" He said with a chuckle again. "Absolutely."

"No. That you...can't stand the idea of being without me?"

He rubbed his jaw slowly and turned his head to spit blood on the ground one last time before looking up at her with a sad smile.

"We've been together for 8 years Verica. You're my family. The idea of letting you leave breaks my heart." He whispered.

Verica wanted to melt on the spot. This was the cutest thing he had ever told her. He was so adorable, looking at her like that. She wanted to hug him so bad right now. She wanted to kiss him and apologize for all that blood on him. She suddenly felt very sorry for punching him and breaking his arm like this.

"I'm sorry I broke your arm." She said.

"Hm, it's ok. You defended yourself." He said plainly, looking at his arm. "I deserved it. It's nothing compared to how I beat you. I shouldn't have lost control on you that way. I'm so sorry. I'm probably the worst sensei in history. "

Verica smiled as she took his arm delicately between her hands. He hissed softly as the motion hurt him. She casted heal on his broken limb and Kenneth immediately felt better, feeling her spiritual energy soothing his pain away as he closed his eyes.

"I'm sure Mathias was much worst than you." Verica whispered, indirectly apologizing for what she had said earlier.

Kenneth snorted and looked at her. "We did beat each other a few times...and harder than that."

Verica laughed softly. "See? We aren't so bad."

"I still shouldn't have..."

"I coerced you into it sensei. We are both in the wrong." She whispered.

"You should heal yourself instead of me. You're probably suffering internal bleeding and you may have a few bones broken too..."

"I have more spiritual energy than you. I can heal both of us." She said softly as she indeed started to feel her body aching like she never had before, now that the adrenaline wasn't there anymore to numb her.

Kenneth stared at her a long moment before looking up at the sky. "I don't deserve you. I beat you to a pulp and here you are, healing me."

"That's because of all my years of training to become a priest. I just can't let people suffer." She replied, ignoring the compliment, but still blushing because of it.

"You're so sweet..."

Verica finished healing him and started healing herself, trying to suppress the heat rising inside her. How could he say such things so easily, like it didn't mean anything?

"I so don't deserve you..." He said again as he closed his eyes.

"Stop saying that sensei."

"It's true. I feel like the worst bastard right now. I never should have hit you. I never should have agreed to fight you in the first place. I knew I was angry and I knew I was mentally exhausted and dangerously close to the edge. It was irresponsible of me."

"Well, I do feel less angry thanks to that though." She said with a small awkward smile.

"Yeah, well, I'm glad I didn't get beaten for nothing then." He answered with a short chuckle.

Kenneth gave a long sigh before he tried to sit up, but Verica sitting on his stomach prevented him. She got the hint and moved back a little, resting her weight on his hips.

His body tensed when he felt her weight shift to rest on his pelvis. Her position reminded him of what happened with Carly the day before. He looked up at Verica with wide eyes, hoping to make her realize how awkward her position was, without actually telling her: "Excuse me, but you're sitting on my crotch, so you should really move if you don't want to feel something indecent."

Unfortunately she didn't look back at him and seemed completely oblivious to their embarrassing position as she concentrated to heal herself. She just sat there, like it was the most casual thing to do. She was lightly bent over and her coat was more open than usual due to their fight. He watched her breast moving up and down with each breath she took. Her lips parted and his body flinched a little when he saw her tongue slipping out to lick her lips, removing the blood on them. Her hair was messy and most of it was out of her pony tail, dangling in front of her face. His hand itched to move up and place those hairs between her ear to have a better view of her lips.

His heart skipped a beat when he realized exactly what he was doing and that his hand had indeed moved without his consent to brush her thigh. He removed it immediately and closed his eyes.

"C-could you get off me, please." He asked, his voice holding a hint of haste.

"Oh! Yes, sorry!" She replied, thinking that she was probably pretty heavy, sitting on him like that. She raised herself up and sat on her knees beside him.

Kenneth let go of the breath he'd been holding when the pressure on his crotch was removed. He felt like banging his head repeatedly on a hard surface. What the hell was wrong with him? Did he really almost have an erection by watching her lick her lips? They were just lips for God's sake! Even if they were indeed very beautiful lips...a pretty shade of pink and so tempting and...

Oh God help him. Was he fantasizing about his student now? That was just plainly wrong! He hated to admit it, but his sexual frustration with Carly was getting the better of him. It was easy to forget such impure thoughts when you had lived without it for 14 years. Only 10 seconds in Carly's hands and he had been remembered of everything he had been missing over those years. Hell, was he really that weak? He had to talk to the blond and sort things out in his head quickly, or things would become out of control, again. He really didn't want that. Especially not with Verica around. This could become dangerous. If only she was still a 16 years old kid, and not a grown up woman with such beautiful lips...

"What the fuck Kenneth?' He thought to himself. 'Get a hold of yourself and your strange lips fetish! She's 24. Compared to you, she IS a kid. A kid under YOUR tutelage. Get your shit together!"

He took a moment to calm himself, eyes closed and breathing deeply. He slowly sat up and quickly forced himself to think about something else.

"Well, you won. I suppose I don't have any choice now."

Verica's head snapped up at him in surprise. "Sensei...I was just angry. I didn't really mean that bet thing. Anyway, I didn't really beat you."

"My bloody face tends to disagree with you."

"You could have gotten out of my grasp easily. I didn't win, you just gave up." She stated.

"Hm, consider yourself lucky I did." He said as he looked to the ground, ashamed, and tried to remove some of the blood caught in his light beard.

She felt really sorry for him. She really wanted to leave, but knowing how he really felt about it made he feel guilty. But there was no point in staying. His feelings toward her were the feelings of a father toward his daughter. It was not what she wanted. She wanted what Carly had...

"Let's erase everything that has been said up until now, will you?" He said with a smile. She nodded slowly. "Alright. So, ask me again."

"...A-ask you what?"

"What you asked me in the sanctuary."

Verica narrowed her eyes at him. "Can...can I leave for-?"

"Yes." Kenneth said before she could even finish her sentence.

Verica's head moved back in surprise. She stared at him, mouth open and eyes wide. "What, you changed your mind just like that?"

"JUST like that?" He said as he laughed and looked at her with a sneer. "You broke my arm girl! It was more convincing than I needed. Look, no matter how I feel, it's not right for me to force you to stay here for my own selfish reasons. Average monks only leave after minimum 10 years of training. But you're everything but an average monk. You're resourceful and clever and I have no doubt you'll be able to handle yourself out there. If this is what you want, I have no rational reasons to keep you here." He finished.

Verica stared at him with a thankful expression. "You mean it?"

"Of course I do. And I have to admit that you impressed me just now. Seeing you fight like this, without holding back, made me realize just what you're really capable of. Who knows, maybe you really are ready to become a champion. In any case, I'm not going to hold you back. But..."

"But?"

Kenneth looked away a moment and chuckled. "Please just give me a few days to get used to the idea." he whispered.

Verica smiled softly at him. This man fascinated her so much. He was an overbearing teacher and one of the most dangerous champions of Rune Midgard. Yet he was also the sweetest and most loving man she knew. She wanted to throw herself at him and hug him, but she wasn't sure if it was appropriate. She had done it many time in the past, but now with Carly she felt it might be out of place. So she just stared at him, her eyes full of compassion and love: a love that would sadly never reach him fully.

He noticed her gaze and returned it with a smile. His eyes settled on the stream of blood on her cheek. His smile faded as he reached for her face, cupping her cheek and brushing away the blood with his thumb.

"I'm sorry for hurting you." He whispered, unaware that for Verica it held a double meaning.

She wanted to reply, but the sound of her heart beating so hard in her chest was distracting her too much to form a coherent sentence. He wasn't wearing his glove right now. It was rare for her to actually feel his bare hands on her. Even if it was just on her cheek, the feeling was just so exciting. She gazed into his eyes, but he was not looking into hers. He stared at his thumb on her cheek intensely.

The blood left was dry and wasn't going to be removed just like that. But even if it had been fresh, he was brushing his thumb way too lightly to actually remove it. He kept stroking her cheek gently, enjoying the way her skin felt so soft against his rough hand. It was so delicate, it almost felt surreal. It was like a small piece of paradise under his hand; warm and soothing compared to his cold surrounding. He could have kept his hand there all night long.

Verica started panting under his touch. She felt kind of awkward, but she loved it too much to actually voice her discomfort. A short moan escaped her lips when his touch made her shudder all of a sudden, and she saw his eyes drift quickly to her mouth. Heat rose to her cheeks so intensely she felt like she had a fever. Her throat was dry and so were her lips. She slid her tongue out to moisten them. It only lasted a second, but it didn't go unnoticed.

As Kenneth's eyes rested on her mouth, his hand flinched on her cheek. His thumb stopped moving and he swallowed hard when her tongue brushed her lips, leaving them moist and glossy. His breathing became more erratic all of a sudden and he could feel his pulse increasing. His brain went out of order again. It was happening way too often recently, but it was the least of his worries at the moment. All he could think about was the way her skin felt under his fingers and those wet lips only a few inches away from his thumb. A small voice in the back of his head told him that her lips ought to be even more heavenly enjoyable than her cheek. Like a blind idiot, he followed the voice's lead. His thumb brushed against her cheek to reach her chin. He slowly caressed her lower lip, relishing in their warm softness and liking way too much the way her breath on his thumb made goosebumps rise on his arm.

Verica's heart rate was unbearable. This was too much. She didn't understand what was going on, but it was simply...too much.

"...S-sensei?" She stuttered in a whisper.

It put Kenneth's brain back into action as she saw him blink. He focused his eyes on hers and his cheeks reddened slightly in embarrassment when he realized what he was doing. He withdrew his hand like he'd just been burnt and his breath caught in his lungs. They stared at each other a long moment in confusion, until Kenneth finally looked away and laughed awkwardly.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I kind of...spaced out. I think you hit my head harder than you think girl." He joked.

"Y-yeah..." She replied in a low tone.

"Hm, it's getting pretty late you know. You should probably go to bed. We'll talk about it again tomorrow." He said, quickly.

"...Talk about what?"

"Well, your departure..."

"Oh! Yes...of course. Sorry." Verica got up and played with her hands as she bowed to him. "Well, goodnight sensei."

"Yeah, goodnight." He replied as he watched her walking away. Once she was far enough, he let out a long sigh and squeezed his eyes shut. His thumb still felt moist from her hot breath and he quickly wiped it on his pants. He put his other hand on his forehead and shook his head.

"What the fuck is wrong with you old man?" He asked himself before falling on his back and banging his head on the ground under him. He had to speak with Carly and get rid of those unhealthy thoughts haunting him. He was going to lose his mind otherwise.

That, or do something he was going to bitterly regret. But neither was an appealing prospect.

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><p>I love this chapter, honestly. I hope you liked it too :) A bit long though, sorry :P But I think it was worth it. Reviews? yes please :)<p> 


	23. 5:Pretenses

Hm, so...I think it's safe to say that the last two chapters were pretty heavy and eventful isn't it :P Time to take a break, no? XD

So here, this chapter is much more relaxed and funny than the previous ones. I wondered if I should post it or just skip to what happens next. I tried to mix the most importants parts of this chapter with the next one but it seemed really odd. So, since I already wrote this, I thought I might as well post it as it was supposed to be. I hope you'll like it, as always :)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 23 Pretenses <strong>

Alek was eating his breakfast in the sanctuary, relaxed and a bit bored, like most mornings. He had no training with Merril today and he always found himself a bit lost whenever he had nothing to do during the day. He was waiting for his friend to wake up and join him, as usual. He smiled widely when he saw her walking toward him with her food, looking strangely sleepy and somewhat lost in her thoughts.

"Hey, V!"

"Hi Alek." She replied as she sat in front of him.

"Are you alright? You look like you didn't sleep." The young man remarked with a concerned frown.

"I didn't sleep very well, it's true..." Verica simply said with a sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"It's a long story."

"Well, I have nothing in particular to do today." Alek said with a smile.

Verica laughed quietly. "Well, it's just that something happened yesterday...between me and Kenneth."

"You mean the fight?"

"How do you know?" Verica asked in surprise.

"The whole abbey heard you Verica. People say you got angry at him because he wouldn't let you leave for Juno. Is it true?"

"Something like that, yes. But it's ok. We settled our argument." She said as she bowed her head in shame.

"I have a feeling it's more than that. Things are always more complicated than they seem when your teacher is involved." Alek continued as he rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"It's...complex." Verica replied.

"Does it have something to do with that blond woman from yesterday? You didn't seem to like her very much."

"Very perceptive as always." Verica sighed.

"So, what's the problem exactly?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"I don't believe you."

Verica glared at Alek for a moment before she finally gave up.

"Alright alright. But please don't judge me."

"I never judged you before Verica. I'm not going to start now." He smiled.

Verica paused a long moment as she poked her food. Then she closed her eyes and whispered. "Kenneth is with Carly."

"Carly is that blond woman? What do you mean he...oh."

"Yeah..." Verica replied quickly. The sight of her food seemed to turn her stomach all of a sudden.

"Are you sure? It seems very unlikely." Alek asked, obviously skeptical.

"I saw them together Alek. There is no mistake." She whispered.

"Oh...I suppose everything makes sense now. That's why you were so angry at him and...wait! Don't tell me this is why you want to leave!"

"Well, it sure influenced me a bit."

"Verica! This is ridiculous!" Alek yelled. "You can't leave just because of that!"

"Oh don't give me that bullshit Alek!" Verica yelled back. "I spent part of last night hearing the same thing from Kenneth. I managed to convince him, don't make me convince you too!"

"Yeah, but I doubt you told him the real reasons!" Alek replied.

"I...well, no."

"If he knew the real reasons, he wouldn't have agreed!"

"This is not the point! No matter my reasons, I've made my decision and there is no turning back."

Alek stared at her in bemusement for a long moment. He knew Verica loved her teacher, but honestly, he never thought things would turn out like this. He never expected Kenneth to be with another woman in the first place. But for Verica to leave because of that, it was simply so absurd.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing." He said in disbelief.

"Whether you believe it or not doesn't change anything." Verica said.

"This is not like you to run away from your problem like this. Leaving won't solve anything."

"It won't solve anything to stay either." She whispered to herself.

"You'll put yourself in danger! And for what? Because you don't want to see your teacher with another woman?" He said in a low voice, making sure no one around would hear them.

"Do you know how it feels to love someone who will never love you back?" Verica snapped.

"I...no."

"Do you know how it feels to see this person with someone else?"

"...No." He said reluctantly.

"Then don't tell me what I should do!" She whispered in a low threatening tone.

The table fell silent. Alek looked away from her and played with his food before speaking again.

"I'm sorry." He said.

She didn't reply.

"I realize I have no rights to tell you what to do but..." he sighed. "I'm just worried about you V! I don't want you to regret it! It's dangerous to become a champion. You shouldn't do it if you're not ready!"

"But I am ready Alek." Verica said. "I proved it to Kenneth yesterday. He admitted himself that I was ready to leave. I need to do this! Not just because of him. I'm doing it for myself too. I never saw what lay outside the Prontera Forest Alek! I've never seen the real world and I'm 24 years old! How pathetic is that?"

"But Verica-"

"I thought about it for an entire day. I know what I want."

"An entire day doesn't seem like a lot of reflection for something so important." Alek insisted

"What are you suggesting me then?"

"Well, stay! I think it's pretty simple."

"That doesn't solve my problem."

"Aren't you overreacting a little to all this?"

"You said you wouldn't judge me." She said with a glare.

"I-I'm not judging you!" Alek said as he put his hands in front of him in a defensive gesture. "I'm just saying your reaction is a bit exaggerated. I mean, is it really that bad to stay here with your teacher?"

"If it was only him, I suppose not. But I'm not going to stay here and watch him in the arms of that slut!"

"Woah ok! No need to use such language!" Alek said quickly. He paused a moment and then he sighed. "I suppose I see your point. I'm not going to say I understand, because I can't. I suppose if Kenneth agreed, it's not my place to question his decision. But I really hope you know what you're doing." he finished with a frown.

"Don't worry Alek. It's for the best, I know it." She said, trying to convince herself in the process.

"No wonder you had trouble sleeping with all those thoughts in your head."

"Actually, it's not really the reason why I couldn't sleep..."

Alek sighed again and looked at Verica with an exasperated gaze. "Why is your life so complicated?"

"I wish I knew." She groaned. "Sometimes it feels like someone is writing my life for their own entertainment..."

"That doesn't make sense." Alek laughed.

"I know." She replied with a laugh too.

"So, what is it then?"

"After the fight with Kenneth...something strange happened." She said hesitantly.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. He-"

"Oh wait!" Alek said all of a sudden as he turned his attention to his meal. "He's coming your way."

"Who?"

"Good morning girl." She heard behind her. She turned around shyly to see Kenneth stopping beside her.

"Good morning sensei." She replied, not daring to look at him in the eyes.

"How...are you feeling?" He asked hesitantly, obviously referring to their fight.

"I'm ok." She quickly said. "How's your arm?"

"It's...as if nothing happened, thanks to you." He answered as he glanced toward Alek from the corner of his eye. The boy smiled to him politely and continued to eat.

"Good." Verica said with a smile.

She saw him hesitate a moment. He was looking at her strangely, like he was studying her and it made her very uneasy. She looked away, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment and slapping herself mentally at how easily he affected her.

"Hm, have you seen Carly around?" He finally said.

Verica's hand flinched and Alek glanced at her with a worried look for a split second, before looking away again.

"No." She replied simply.

"Ah. Ok. Thanks anyway." He said as he took a step to leave, but Verica stopped him.

"Sensei!"

"Yes?"

"I...about yesterday."

She saw his body tense and his eyes drift to the floor. "Yeah?"

"Hum, I wondered if we could, you know, talk about it." She said, placing her bangs behind her ear nervously.

Kenneth looked at her like she was some kind of ghost and she immediately regretted bringing up the subject. He rubbed the nape of his neck as he looked around nervously.

"And...by 'it' you mean?"

"Hum, my departure." She replied with a frown. "You said we would talk about it."

"Oh." He said as his body relaxed and he smiled. "Yeah, sorry. I just have a little something to take care of. I'll come back and see you later, if you don't mind." He finished as he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Ok..."

Kenneth stayed there and smiled, his hand not moving from her. After a short moment under Alek's perplex gaze, he finally slipped his hand away from Verica.

"See ya later." He said before leaving.

Verica let go of the breath she'd been holding as Alek watched her with a frown.

"What the hell was that?"

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't notice?"

"...Notice what?" Verica asked as she blinked in confusion.

Alek stared at her before shaking his head. Maybe it was just him imagining things. "Nevermind. What were you saying? What happened yesterday?"

Verica took a deep breath before she spoke. "I can't explain it really. After the fight, I had blood on my cheek, so he tried to remove it with his thumb."

"And?"

"And..."She hesitated. "After a moment he just...I don't know. It was like he had lost his mind or something. He just started to brush my lip with his thumb..." she said as heat rose to her cheek from the memory.

Alek blinked a few times. "He what?"

"I told you it was strange." She sighed.

"Was there blood on you lips?"

"No."

"Why did he do that?"

"I don't know Alek!" She said in an exasperated tone. "I told you, I don't understand what happened."

"But surely he realized how awkward it was? How did he explain it?"

"He withdrew his hand and laughed, saying that he had spaced out and that I had probably hit his head harder than I thought."

"Are you sure he's really with Carly?" He asked with a raised brow.

"Of course I'm sure! Kenneth is a righteous man. He wouldn't have done...what I saw him do if they weren't together."

"Still, what he did at the training ground is not something a teacher does to his student. I mean, Merril would do that to me I would find it very strange." He remarked as he shuddered from the thought. "Yeah, very strange..."

"What? You think he's coming on to me?" She said as she laughed at how absurd it was.

"Maybe. Who knows? Kenneth is a clever guy. I wouldn't be surprised if he already knew about your feelings."

Verica paused and stared at Alek as what he said sank in. Then she laughed again.

"This is ridiculous. He would have said something if he knew."

"Kenneth is not known for his talent with words. Maybe he feels the same about you but he can't bring himself to tell you directly, so he's trying to let you know in a more subtle way."

"Don't say such things!" Verica snapped. "Do you even realize how absurd what you're saying is?"

"But maybe that's how it is. Wouldn't it please you if it was the case?" Alek asked.

"I...I don't know. I mean, yes of course. I would be the happiest girl in the world if he loved me back. But I'm not stupid!" She said before whispering. "Kenneth is 11 years my senior. I'm a child to him. He would never be interested in me that way. He's so handsome and kind and everything, he could have all the women he wants. I don't see why he would want me above anyone else."

"You're belittling yourself V. You're a great girl. You should know that."

"I'm still no match for Carly in the look department." She said as she looked subtly at her breast, but Alek noticed it.

"Yeah, well, maybe if you didn't flatten them with so much bandage, they would look their real size and you'd feel less insecure." Alek said, talking before thinking like he often did. Verica shot him a glare as her cheeks reddened.

"Their real size?! Where did that come from?!" She yelled as she suddenly felt very self-conscious and crossed her arms over her chest to hide her breast.

"I've seen your breast before V." Alek said as he rolled his eyes. "We all bathe at the same lake. I've seen as much of you as you've seen of me."

True. Most people bathed at the same place without caring about who's naked; men and women alike. Except for Mathias. Women NEVER bathed at the same time as him, but that was understandable.

Verica had always found it was a bit strange for monks to be so unchaste about their nudity. But in a way, it trained them not to care. When you see naked people everyday, you get use to it and probably get less excited from it in a certain way. Although she had always turned around and left whenever Kenneth was there. She didn't think she could still look at him without blushing furiously and fainting if she'd seen him naked. It had been awkward enough in the beginning with Alek. It was strange how normal it felt now and how comfortable both were in this situation. But it's not like the boy had anything to be shy about.

"Yeah, but you, unlike me, have nothing to envy to anyone else." Verica whispered.

Alek blushed and coughed awkwardly. "I-I, th- you- well, hum... where were we going with this again?" He stuttered, trying to change the subject.

"You've seen Carly, Alek. She's way more voluptuous than me." Verica said, ignoring his embarrassment.

"Yeah but she doesn't have the same frame as you. It's normal. Beside, breast is not everything that matters on a woman. You're pretty in your own way. And your breast is not that small anyway!"

"Can we stop talking about my boobs?"

"You're the one who brought your cleavage into the conversation!" Alek said defensively.

"I did not! It's you who brought it up!"

"Alright, I'm sorry. But you have to admit I'm right." Alek said with a raised brow.

"Urg, anyway!" Verica sighed, still hiding her breast behind her arms under the amused look of Alek. "What I meant to say is that Kenneth has no reasons to be interested in me. But more importantly, he's my teacher. Anything that could happen between us would be greatly frowned upon, as well as putting him into a whole lot of trouble. The relation of trust between a teacher and student is not something to mess with." She said with a grave expression. Alek nodded and sighed.

"You're right. I'm sorry for saying that. I didn't mean to hurt you more."

"I know."

"But I still find it strange."

"I know." She repeated in exasperation, taking her head between her hands. "I'm so confused. Maybe it didn't really happen. Maybe I imagined it or dreamt about it. I'm not sure about anything anymore."

"Ask him."

"What?"

"Confront him. Ask him what happened. He'll have no choice but to answer you."

"Easier said than done." She said in a low tone.

"Nothing you can't handle." Alek replied with a smile.

Verica chuckled and looked down at her food. "With all this my meal has gotten cold."

"Ask the chief to warm it up for you."

"Meh, I'm not really hungry anyway."

Verica pushed her plate away and pressed her chin against the palm of her hand. All she could do right now is wait for Kenneth to come back.

* * *

><p>"Have you seen Carly around?" Kenneth asked to Tomoon as he crossed him on the road.<p>

"Nope. Sorry Kenneth, why?"

"I just had something to ask her."

"Hm hm." Tomoon replied with a "yeah right" expression that annoyed Kenneth very much.

"What?" Kenneth asked as he narrowed his eyes at the old man.

"Nohting." Tomoon said with a smile as he continued on his merry way.

Kenneth was about to follow him but decided to let the matter go. He had more important things to worry about right now.

He had to find Carly as soon as possible and talk about what happened the other day. He had to know why she acted so strangely. All he could think about since then was her and the way her body had felt against him. He hated to admit it, but he longed to feel it again. So much that it was all he could think about. Of course he knew he couldn't. He was not going to pretend to love her just so he could feel her warmth once more. He was not Mathias and Carly certainly deserved someone who really loved her the way she wanted.

As much as he cared about her, he didn't care like "that". He didn't feel for her like he felt for Julian. He didn't think he would feel like this for anyone else, but that was beyond the point. He would never be able to see her as anything but a friend and he didn't want her to keep chasing after him. Especially not in the inappropriate way she'd done the other day; trying to have her way with him like that and undressing herself on top of him like...

God his thoughts were so maddening. He really wished he would stop thinking about her body like that, especially after what happened last night with Verica.

He still felt like banging his head on a wall for that. What the hell was he thinking?

Well, obviously he was simply NOT thinking! It had seemed very logical at the moment, yet it was everything but logical. It was inappropriate, wrong, dangerous, confusing and God her breath had felt so good and hot on his thumb...

He raised his hand and smacked himself in the face the moment his thoughts drifted. Something was definitely wrong with him. Even earlier in the sanctuary, his mind had went numb a moment when Verica had smiled at him. His eyes couldn't leave her lips and he had felt an incomprehensible need to touch her. He noticed how his hand lingered on her shoulder way too long and it scared him a lot. He only hoped she didn't notice. He had simply gotten lost in the feeling of warmth under his gloved hand and had been remembered almost instantly of the warmth of her lips...and the warmth of Carly's body pressed on him; enveloping him and numbing all his senses.

He slapped himself again. Damn Carly for putting those dirty thoughts in his mind. He really hoped that talking to her and sorting things out would help him regain control over himself.

"What the hell are you doing, walking around and smacking your face like that?" Bashu asked as he saw him passing on the road.

"Hum, I just...there was a bug..." Kenneth replied.

Bashu raised a brow at him, but decided not to add anything else.

"Say, have you seen Carly around?" Kenneth asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Yes, she left early this morning."

"...She what?" Kenneth said as his eyes widened.

"She left. She said she would be back tomorrow."

"You're kidding me." Kenneth whispered toward the sky, like he was speaking to God.

"Why?"

"Nothing. I had something to ask her."

"Hm, well, it will have to wait." Bashu replied

"I hope it can wait." Kenneth sighed.

He was starting to think God was playing around with him presently.

* * *

><p>Verica was reading a book on her bed in the dormitory as she waited for her teacher. It had been 2 hours now when she finally felt her sensei's presence approaching. She put down her book in front of her and sat cross-legged.<p>

"Hi sensei."

"Hey. Sorry I kept you waiting." He said as he returned the smile. He sat on the edge of her bed and glanced down at her book.

"It's alright." She replied.

"What were you reading?" Kenneth asked as he reached for the book

"Oh, just a...novel Alek lent me." She said with a small blush.

"'The bed of roses'?" Kenneth read aloud with a raised brow. "Sounds like smutty stuff." He laughed as he opened it and read a sentence at random. His brow furrowed as he looked up at Verica with a strange look, which made her blush even more.

"T-the story is very good. It's not...what it looks like." She stuttered.

"If you say so..." He said slowly as he flipped a page. He kept reading a little and his eyes widened. "What the...Verica! This is porn!"

"It is not!"

"I'm reading the words 'tongue' and 'clitoris' in the same sentence..." Kenneth said, clearly not convinced and blushing slightly from the words he was saying.

"It's a love story! It's very well written!"

"Then it's very well written porn, but porn nonetheless."

"There are just a few sex scenes here and there!" She defended herself. "That's not why I'm reading it! The plot is very interesting!"

"You said Alek lent you this? I doubt Merril would be pleased to know her student's reading that kind of thing. And I'm certainly not pleased that he's making YOU read it."

"It's not like he's forcing me to read it! Look, I like it! It's interesting!" She said.

"Yes. 'Interesting'. Is that what you're calling it nowadays?" He said, holding the book in the air. She snatched it off his hand.

"I said it was not why I'm reading it! The story's good!"

"You're too young for such-"

She glared at him with a frown and he stopped.

"I'm sorry..." He sighed. "You're old enough to do whatever you want." he said as he looked away in defeat.

"Thank you." She whispered angrily as she put her book down on the small nightstand.

"Doesn't mean I agree with it." He whispered.

"Your disagreement has been noted." She replied as she looked away in annoyance.

Kenneth cleared his throat and scratched his head. "I'll do as if I hadn't seen anything."

"It's none of your business anyway." Verica replied coldly.

"...True." Kenneth admitted.

They remained silent for a short moment in embarrassment. Kenneth was a bit shocked and he suddenly didn't remember why he was here. The image of Verica reading smut late at night was definitely not an image he needed in his head right now...

'Oh God why...'

"So, did you find Carly." Verica asked, breaking the silence and feigning to be uninterested.

"Hum, no. She left this morning, apparently." Kenneth replied as he struggled not to blush like a young boy.

"Oh. I see." Verica started to play with her hands nervously. "Hum, sensei?" She asked hesitantly.

"Hm?"

"A-about...Carly."

"Yeah?"

Verica stared at him a moment. She wanted to handle the situation like a grown up woman and be mature about it. She wanted to tell Kenneth that she was happy for him; happy that he finally decided to move on and be with a woman. But the words were trapped in her throat. She suddenly felt like crying just by thinking about it. Obviously it showed because Kenneth gave her a worried look.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I just...I wanted to tell you that..."

Why was this so hard?

"Verica, you're worrying me. What's wrong?"

'It's too hard.' She thought.

"Nevermind. Forget I said anything." She quickly said as she looked to the side, struggling not to cry. She was not able to talk about it. She just felt like throwing up at the idea of letting Carly have him. She closed her eyes in defeat.

"...Alright." Kenneth watched her with great concern, but decided not to push the matter further. He got the feeling she wouldn't tell him what's wrong anyway, no matter for how long he asked. Then he finally remembered why he had come and he turned to look at her properly, changing the subject completely. "So. I suppose you haven't changed your mind about Juno."

"Of course not." She whispered as she calmed herself.

"Hm, I thought so."

"Don't tell me you changed yours?" She asked as her fists tightened.

"I would lie if I said I'm completely convinced that this is for the best. But I know you girl. You're as stubborn as Mathias is a drunkard. I'm not foolish enough to think that anything I could do or say would stop you from leaving."

She wasn't sure if that was a compliment or an insult. She decided to ignore it and let him continue.

"And I admitted that you were ready yesterday. I'm not going to go back on my words. But tell me, for how long have you been thinking about this?"

Verica paused a moment before answering. "For some time now." She lied.

"Hm, well then, I suppose it's not my place to question your judgment. If you thought about it thoroughly and decided to leave, you're in your right to follow your reflection. If you're sure this is what you want, who am I to stop you."

"Well, you're my teacher. You get the last word in the end."

"True, but I like to think I'm not a tyrannical teacher. I prefer to let you take your own decisions."

"Really?" Verica asked with a raised brow, yesterday's event still fresh in her mind.

"I know it didn't seem that way yesterday, but I believe we don't need to talk about it more." He said as he looked away nervously and rubbed the nape of his neck. "I panicked. I didn't know how to react and I already apologized for my excessive reaction. Now that you're no longer yelling at me and I'm not fighting against my own anger, things are much clearer." He finished sheepishly.

"I'm so sorry for how things got out of control sensei..."

"I've never been good at controlling my emotions girl, you and Mathias know it better than anyone else. It's a bit embarrassing and even ridiculous for a champion of my level." He sighed. "And you've got quite the hot temper too. It's only natural our personalities clash once in awhile I guess."

"I've never seen you angry at anyone else than me and Mathias though." Verica pouted.

"Mathias is the most infuriating man this world has ever carried. He's making me angry on purpose." Kenneth said with a half smile and a small chuckle. Then he sighed again and looked at Verica. "And I don't know why, but I seem unable to control myself around you. It's like your very presence is...poking at my heart, forcing all my repressed emotions to come out all at once." Kenneth admitted, poking the air with his finger to illustrate what he was saying.

Verica stared at him in surprise. She didn't know what to reply to this. It sounded so personal, she felt like he didn't really mean to say it out loud. Kenneth seemed to realize her malaise as he continued.

"I'm sorry, the words slipped my tongue. You do that to me too sometimes; making me say what I really mean." He said with a smile.

"I'm sorry, I guess." Verica replied shyly, not knowing what else to say.

"Don't. It's not a bad thing. I rather enjoy it, honestly." He said with his warm smile. Verica felt herself melt on the bed and she couldn't help the heat from rising to her cheeks. How could this genius be so oblivious? Did he never notice how she always blushed around him? Did he really not know the effect he had on her?

"Well, what is done is done. Let's concentrate on the matter at hand, will you." He said as he straightened and changed the subject once again. "So, when do you want to leave?"

"Hm, well, as soon as possible, I guess." Verica replied.

"Soon as in tomorrow? Tomorrow morning sounds like a good moment. You'll be able to travel a good distance during the day."

"That soon? I thought you wanted a few days to get use to the idea." Verica said, perplexed.

"If you wait too long, I'll change my mind." He said with a sheepish smile. "So, if you really want to leave, do it while I still agree with it."

"That sounds really irresponsible." Verica remarked with a smile.

"If you really thought about it carefully, there is no need for you to stay here and think about it more. I understand your reasons to leave and I admit that my judgment might be slightly distorted. I worry about you too much and I will always worry about you too much. If I listened to myself, you would stay here in the security of the abbey for the rest of your life."

"That's not going to happen." Verica quickly said.

"I know. That's why I'm telling you to leave, before I tie you up on that bed forever" He said with a smile. But internally, he banged his head on an imaginary wall.

'That was definitely not a good comparison...'

"You know you're way too protective of me sensei." Verica replied as she laughed quietly, oblivious to the perverted double sense of what he just said.

"I didn't know I was so overprotective before you became my student." He said, pushing away images from his head. "Maybe I wasn't. It's probably something you acquire with age." He said playfully as he touched the corner of his eyes in a fake attempt to look concerned about his wrinkles.

"You're just 35 years old sensei. You're not old. And you still look like you're 25." Verica giggled.

"Oh please. I was way cuter than that at 25." He replied, playing the game.

"I don't think that's possible." She said shyly. She immediately regretted what she just said as her cheeks reddened again.

"Kss, look at that bootlicker. You already got what you wanted from me, no need to flatter me more." He laughed.

"Yeah..." Verica whispered as she laughed nervously. "But it's true you know."

"What is?"

"You really don't look your age." She repeated in an incredible surge of courage.

Kenneth's eyes softened and his warm smile replaced his playful one.

"Thanks girl. You're sweet." He replied as he ruffled her untied hair. She pouted and glared at him in annoyance. She hated when he did that.

Then his hand stopped moving, but stayed on top of her head. Verica looked up at him in confusion. He just kept his hand there and stared at her intensely. But he wasn't looking at her face. Was he...looking at her cleavage?

As she was thinking about it, he withdrew his hand slowly and closed his eyes, as if nothing strange had just happened.

"Alright then." He said as he looked at her with a smile. "I'll leave you to your...reading." he said, lingering on his last word. He was about to get up when Verica put her hand on his arm to keep him where he was.

"Wait, sensei." She looked up into his eyes, her own holding a hint of fear and confusion Kenneth didn't like.

"What is it?"

"I...about yesterday." She started shyly, examining his features carefully to see his reaction. "What...what happened yesterday?"

Kenneth stared at her with a blank expression for a short moment. He really hoped she wouldn't ask that question, because he had no idea how to answer. He knew very well that she wasn't referring to their fight, but what came after the fight. He couldn't even explain to himself why he did what he did. There was no way he could give her a coherent explanation. She looked as confused as he was and he really wanted to kick himself for that.

He tried to come up with something intelligent to say, but somehow his brain was not working at its full capacity recently.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, feigning complete ignorance.

"I..." She hesitated a moment. She didn't know if she should say it. Was he ignoring what happened, or did he really not know what she was talking about. Maybe it really didn't happen after all and she imagined it. That was probably it. It had never really happened. It was just a dream and she had mixed it up with reality. By the way Kenneth was looking at her completely oblivious now, it seemed like the most rational explanation.

She removed her hand from his arm and smiled as she looked away. "Nothing, I... it's nothing."

Kenneth's heart sank in his chest. He hated lying to her. He had hidden things from her too often in the past. But right now he felt it was the only solution to preserve his sanity. It was best to ignore what happened anyway. It was just a small slip. Once he talked to Carly and clear things out in his head, things would go back to normal.

He was about to leave again, but somehow his body wouldn't move from the bed. He knew she was going to leave tomorrow and so today was the last day he would spend with her. He felt like throwing up just by thinking about it. He suddenly wished to go back in time. Go back to when she was 16 and had so much to learn. When they spent each day at the training ground together. Everyday was different yet oddly similar and the idea of such stability and certainty felt reassuring to him right now. Maybe it would be a good way to forget what was to come. At least for a little while.

"Well, the day is still young." He said, changing the subject completely. "Would you like to train? I could teach you that move I used to steal the spirit spheres you threw at me."

"That would be awesome!" She said, her eyes sparkling like a little girl on Christmas. Learning new techniques always excited her so much. She'd been very sad to know that Asura strike was the last skill on the list to learn. Kenneth couldn't help but smile at her attitude. She could be so mature and serious sometimes and then behave like she was 12. She was just so adorable.

Kenneth got up as he chuckled. "Alright, let's go to the training ground. Let's try not to break any part of my body this time."

"I can promise no such thing." She replied with a devilish smile, getting up as well.

"If you break anything, you'll have to fix it."

"I always fix what I break."

"True, and I'm very grateful for it." He chuckled lightly. He gestured her to pass in front of him with one hand while he pressed his other one on the small of her back to make her move forward.

It was a simple and polite gesture he had done many times and Verica didn't attach more attention to it than she usually did at first. But as she kept walking, she still felt his hand on her back, brushing lightly on her with just enough pressure to feel it. And just as she started to wonder why he was keeping his hand there, he removed it, letting it slide down to his side and brushing her rear slightly on its way. Verica shuddered as she turned to look at him, slightly confused.

He was already looking at her from the corner of his eye. He was staring down at her neck and the moment she looked, his eyes quickly drifted away. Did she imagine it? She looked back in front of her as she mentally slapped herself. Her mind was playing tricks on her. Was she really imagining lingering touches and stolen glances now? His presence was confusing her even more than before. This clearly showed her that it was time to leave.

Kenneth slapped himself in the face for the third time today. This was getting out of hand. What the hell was wrong with him? This had to stop now. Why did Carly have to leave now? God really was playing with his fate right now. This was just so ridiculous. He really felt like he was 16 again and it was incredibly embarrassing. He had to calm himself now and stop this nonsense going on in his head.

But it was going to be hard with this pretty young woman walking in front of him with her hips swinging from side to si-

'Oh God, stop staring like that.' He thought to himself in exasperation.

Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea for Verica to leave after all. And maybe the sooner the better.

* * *

><p>Thank you :) I hope you enjoyed it ^^<p> 


	24. 5:The last day

Sooo, this chapter was more of an excuse to pass information on lol. But I think I managed to keep it interesting and relevant to what is presently going on :)

Good reading.

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><p><strong>Chapter 24 The last day<strong>

Verica and Kenneth both walked side by side in silence until they arrived at the training ground. A few monks were already training and so they went to their usual spot at the back, close to the Abbey wall where a large tree stood, isolated from the rest. The silence had been kind of awkward, but with their earlier discussion, neither of them really knew what to say. The idea of training was something reassuring in its stability, considering all the changes that would come tomorrow. Neither of them wanted to think about it for a little while.

And beside, Kenneth was concentrating way too much on trying not to think about Carly and NOT to stare at his student's swaying hips to engage in a real conversation at the moment.

Really, what horrible timing this was. He should have gotten up earlier to make sure he could talk to Carly before she left. But then again, it's not like he knew she was going to leave. And it's not like he could have just stood by her bed and waited for her to wake up. That would have been kind of creepy...and send her the wrong message.

But there wasn't much he could do about it. He just had to wait until tomorrow. What a pain really...

"So, are we going to just stand here, or are you going to actually show me something?" Verica said, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Ah, sorry, sorry!" He quickly said with a sheepish smile as he brought his hands in front of him in a defensive gesture. "I spaced out. I didn't sleep much last night. I'm a bit tired."

"It's ok, I understand." She replied. She hadn't slept much either.

"Alright." He said as he started the "sensei" engine in his brain "So, stealing spirit spheres thrown at you, let's see... you remember how to do spiritual bestowment and spiritual sphere absorption don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"Good. Now, I'm not really sure how to explain this to you..."

"Why?"

"No one taught me what I'm about to teach you. I got it by myself. I'm not sure how to put words on it." He said as he rubbed his chin and looked up at the sky. "Well, I guess I could do a demonstration. So...just throw a sphere at me." He told her as he took a few steps back.

Verica summoned a sphere and did as she was told. She watched carefully as it stopped inside her sensei's palm. Then he pushed it to the side, forcing the sphere to slowly turn around him like it belonged to him.

"So, did it helped?" Kenneth asked.

"Hm...not really. If I was to try it, the sphere would just hit my hand. I don't know how you're stopping it." She replied.

"I see. Well, let's try to analyse each phase of the technique." Kenneth said. "As I mentioned, the basics behind it is to use spiritual bestowment and spiritual sphere absorption. The first allows you to transfer one of your spheres to another person. The second lets you absorb and transform spheres into raw energy in order to regenerate part of your own spiritual energy."

"I know that. It's basic monk knowledge." Verica said.

"I know you know, but I'm saying it again anyway."

"Yeah, but you don't need to, 'cause I know it." Verica insisted. She hated when he explained simple things. Especially when he knew she already understood it. It reminded her of Kebbaku, who always felt the need to explain the basics of the healing spell. As if she didn't know how to do that already. It was just a waste of time.

"Hey, who's the boss here?" Kenneth said with a playful smile.

Verica gave an irritated snort and pouted. "It's you, sensei."

"Correct. So, what was it you were saying girl?" he added as he crossed his arms.

"Nothing...sensei." She replied with a small smile. He was enjoying his teacher's role way too much. He always had. But this time, she decided to play along. "I'm sorry sensei. I didn't mean to be impolite. It won't happen again sensei..." She said in a smooth tone as she looked up at him with big eyes and a pout, joining her hands in front of her in a perfect display of politeness, as if she really was sorry and shy. She tried very hard not to laugh at how ridiculous she sounded.

Her attitude seemed to put him off. His whole body tensed the moment she spoke and his eyes widened a fraction of a second. His mouth opened, as if to say something, but no sound came out. He looked so mesmerized it was kind of funny and Verica started to laugh as she adopted her usual behavior again.

"Just kidding sensei. Is it really that strange to see me polite?" She laughed at his reaction.

"I, hum..." Kenneth blinked and looked away quickly. What the hell was wrong with him? How many times had he asked himself this question over the last day? He was so ashamed of himself right now. His brain had completely froze at her behavior. Her perfect-little-student attitude and his title leaving her lips with so much insistence was just so...dirty.

He forced himself to stop his train of thoughts. He didn't need them right now. It was all the work of his imagination, tainted by Carly's image. He shouldn't have reacted at all. He coughed and put his hands in his pocket, determined to stop those inappropriate images from running free in his head. He had to concentrate on the matter at hand.

"Sorry, I spaced out again." He finally said.

'Is he blushing?" Verica thought as her eyes narrowed at him. It was faint, but she thought his cheeks were redder than usual.

"Anyway." He said as he coughed once again. "Let's continue, will you?"

He didn't wait for Verica to reply.

"The trick is to absorb the sphere thrown at you." He continued, still avoiding Verica's gaze and focusing on his explanation. "But you have to do only half of the skill. If you do it completely, you'll absorb the sphere and transform it into energy. You don't want that." He said as he finally looked up at her. His expression was very businesslike. It made Verica a bit uneasy and she tried her best to regain her serious behavior as well, focusing on what he was saying as she nodded.

"So, to prevent you from absorbing it completely, you use spiritual bestowment at the right moment. In other words, while the sphere is being absorbed, you transfer it to yourself."

Verica stared at him and blinked. "What? Hum, I'm sorry sensei. I'm not following you. How can I transfer a sphere that is not mine? And to myself? It doesn't make sense."

"Alright, sorry. I told you I wasn't sure how to explain it." he said with an apologetic smile. "Let me try to rephrase that." he continued as Verica nodded. "First, you absorb the sphere. Second, you use spiritual bestowment almost at the same time."

"What do you mean by 'almost at the same time'?"

"It means before the sphere is transformed into raw energy and integrated into your system. But you can't do it too soon either."

"Why?"

"Hm, I'll try to show you in a more concrete way." He said as he summoned a sphere.

He used spiritual bestowment to give Verica his sphere. She felt it spin around her lazily and Verica closed her eyes a moment to enjoy the feeling. She loved feeling his spiritual energy so close to her. It made her shiver every time.

"You're feeling it?"

She nodded, trying to keep her composure despite the butterflies in her stomach.

"So you know by the unnatural way it feels that the sphere is mine."

"Yes." She said. 'But it's not unnatural in a bad way though. I could definitely get used to it.' She thought to herself.

"But it doesn't feel completely like my energy either, does it?"

Verica frowned as she concentrated. "No. It's different. I know it's yours, but it's not the same as when I feel your energy directly."

"That's why you can't use spiritual bestowment too soon. You have to wait for the sphere to enter this state where it's not yours, but no longer mine either. That's why you can transfer it to yourself."

Verica nodded slowly as she understood. At least she thought she understood. "I suppose that when I absorb a sphere, it only stays in that state a very short moment." She asked.

"Exactly. Everything is in the timing. You absorb the sphere and, the moment you feel it's in that state, you use spiritual bestowment. It will interrupt the sphere's transformation into raw energy and kind of reset it. Then you guide it with your hand to make it rotate around you, as if you had summoned it yourself. You can also spin on yourself to help it."

"Hm. I see. I think I understand now." Verica said with a content smile.

"The idea behind this technique is to use the spheres you stole immediately by throwing them, not letting your opponent realize what just happened. But this is more of a bonus skill really. I don't think you'll ever use it in a real battle since it can only be used against another monk or champion. It's rare for monks to battle each other unless they are sparring. But I suppose that if you ever encounter a renegade monk, it could be useful."

"Renegade monk?"

"Yeah, well, I doubt you'll ever meet any. You don't really stumble on one every corner."

"You mean they really exist?" Verica asked with a raised brow.

"Of course they do..." He replied with a frown. "What made you think they didn't?"

"I don't know. Mathias told me about them once. He said they were monks and champions who abandoned the church and the abbey's oath. They are basically criminals with monk's powers. I thought Mathias was making fun of me." She admitted.

"He wasn't. Although they are very rare, and really, rare is an euphemism, it's not completely impossible to see one. They are very dangerous. They are generally as powerful as you, but unlike you, they are not bound by any kind of principle. If they see an opportunity to use asura strike and kill you, they will. If you ever encounter one, which I highly doubt, don't even question yourself to know if he's hostile or not. Consider him an enemy on sight. At least, that's what I'm supposed to tell you. But honestly, if you ever see one and he presents no threat to you, leave him be and go away. Don't risk your life for nothing."

"What do you mean: 'consider him an enemy on sight'?" Verica asked.

"As monks of St. Capitolina's abbey, we are bound by honor to capture them and bring them here for execution, or kill them on the spot. They are considered traitors and must be punished. Those are the rules." Kenneth said with a sigh.

"The rules?" Verica frowned at her teacher. "But monks don't kill! You always repeated me that! You always said that even the life of the tiniest bug was worth something to God! Renegade or not, those people are human being! You can't just kill them on sight!" She exclaimed.

"Calm down girl. I know it sounds contradictory." Kenneth quickly replied as he raised a hand in front of him to make her stop. "But those rules were created a very long time ago and you should not mess with them. Our ancestors believed that renegade monks were tainted by evil; that they had come to terms with demons and therefore had to be considered like demons and killed. They were not able to admit that, sometime, humans were simply evil, without the need of demons to influence them. But the rules stayed nonetheless. Anyway, I doubt you'll ever see one. I said there were very few renegade monks, because they are quickly dealt with."

"Dealt with?"

"You know what I mean."

"I...I didn't know that."

"It's not something people talk about casually. Most people like to pretend they don't exist. They do, but there's not a lot of them. It's rare for monks to turn their back on the church and our oath anyway." He said with a shrug.

"And who take care of them?"

"Other champions, selected by the council. Right now, Tomoon is in charge of those special champions. He's the one who choose them as well."

"So there are champions here in the abbey who are...assassins?"

"I wouldn't say it like that. Those champions follow the same rules as anyone. Their morals and beliefs are the same. They don't kill because they like it. They take care of the dirty business and bear the moral consequences of it so that no one else has to. But they find peace in the fact that if they hadn't killed them, those renegades would have killed innocent people." He paused and looked down, a strange expression of shame on his features all of a sudden. "Their actions protect those people, as well as the abbey's honor. We can't just let our criminals wander around without doing anything. You could say it's our responsibility to take care of them."

Verica didn't know what to say. 8 years here and she had never heard about this. She wasn't sure how to feel about it.

"And...how are they called?" She asked hesitantly.

"Who?"

"Those champions. Do they have some kind of special name? I don't know, like the 'special unit task force' or something like that."

"Ah, no." Kenneth said as he chuckled lightly. "And no one knows who they are, not even amongst them, nor how many there are. Only Tomoon knows. Even Mathias could be one of them, for all I know. It's kept very secret. But as I said, there are not a lot of renegade monks to hunt in the first place, so I suspect there are not many 'special champions' either."

Verica frowned at him intensely.

"And no, before you ask, I'm not one of them."

"Yeah, but even if you were, you wouldn't be allowed to tell me I guess." She said with a doubtful gaze.

"True." He said as he laughed quietly. "But I assure you I'm not."

Verica looked at him suspiciously. She really hoped he was telling the truth. The idea of Kenneth being some kind of super champion trained to kill other monks was very unsettling...even if on the other hand it was incredibly sexy...

But then again, Kenneth was known to be one of the most powerful champion of the abbey. If he was that powerful, why wouldn't he be one of those special champions?

"You don't look convinced." Kenneth said calmly with a small smile.

"I don't know. I mean, you would be a perfect candidate for the job when you think about it."

"Hm..." Kenneth looked around a moment before taking a step toward Verica to whisper to her. "Truth is, I've been asked to join."

Verica moved away a little and stared at him with narrowed eyes. "But you turned them down?" She asked in the same low tone.

Kenneth nodded, looking around one last time to make sure no one was within earshot. "I was asked the moment I came back from Juno. Tomoon had his eyes on me since the beginning."

"Why did you refuse?"

"Well, actually, I accepted at first."

"What happened?" Verica asked with curiosity. It was funny how even after 8 years together, there was still so much she didn't know about him.

Kenneth looked around nervously again. "You know, I'm not supposed to tell you about this..." He whispered.

"Oh, yes, of course. I'm sorry..." Verica said, a bit disappointed.

Kenneth stared down at her a moment before he sighed and smiled. "But you're my student and I said I wouldn't hide things from you anymore. I suppose you deserve to know. And maybe you can learn from it." He gestured her to come closer with his hand and Verica took a step toward him. Kenneth bowed his head slightly and turned his back to the other monks training further in the training ground.

"2 months after I joined, Tomoon sent me to track and kill a renegade champion in Morroc Desert. He had deserted a few weeks before. He was swindling poor people in Morroc city, offering false protection in exchange for their money. Of course, when they wouldn't pay, he was the one to cause trouble. I found him after 3 weeks of chase. I cornered him and tried to reason with him."

"R-reason with him?" Verica asked.

"I knew that man. I saw him everyday and fought beside him a few time. His name was Jacob. He was a brother, like every monk of the abbey... I wasn't very comfortable with the idea of killing him, renegade or not. I tried to make him understand that what he was doing was wrong." Kenneth explained. "Of course he didn't listen to what I had to say. Really, it felt like I was talking to a rogue more than to a monk. He had always been a bit special, but I never thought he would...anyway. He attacked me and I had no other choice but to defend myself."

He turned his head away from Verica and closed his eyes a moment. "The battle was long and difficult. In the end, I..."

He opened his eyes and looked at the ground. His expression was painful and Verica hated to see him like this. He looked hurt and ashamed.

"I did what I had been told to do. I kept repeating to myself that it was self-defense and that I had no other choice. I...got rid of the corpse and came back here. Tomoon applauded my good work but his congratulations sounded hollow to me. A man had died...and I was to blame for it."

Verica looked up at him with compassion. "But it was your job to do it. You had no other choice."

Kenneth met her gaze and sighed. "I doubt God likes to see us killing each other like this." He said, running his hand in his hair as his gaze drifted to his right, staring at the ground, but not really seeing it. Verica noticed that his hand shook in his hair and she realized just how much this experience had traumatized him. He quickly buried his hands in his pocket to hide his sudden tic.

"I've never killed anyone in my entire life, except this man." He continued, his voice low and calm, but somehow she could feel so much emotion in it. "I remember his face more vividly than I remember my own mother's. For months after it happened, the scene repeated again and again in my dreams. I didn't sleep at all for a whole week. Even now, at times, I feel like my hands are still moist from his blood." His voice shook and he coughed briefly to clear his throat. "Sometimes I see the blurry silhouette of a champion from the corner of my eye, but when I look, there's no one. Sometimes I...I feel shaky breaths on the nape of my neck and I really question my sanity when that happens..."

His voice was incredibly calm compared to how hurt and pained he looked. He was looking into space, as if he was seeing something only he could see, and Verica hated it. She put her hand on his arm in a comforting gesture. Kenneth's head snapped back up to look at her in surprise, as if he had forgotten she was there. She smiled sadly at him.

"It's not your fault. He deserved what happened to him."

Kenneth stared at her with a blank expression. "This is what Tomoon said when I told him I didn't want to do this anymore. Do you know what I answered him?"

Verica slowly shook her head.

"Who are we to decide who dies and who lives? Do you consider yourself on the same level as God?'." Kenneth gave a short, dark chuckle and looked away as he continued. "Needless to say that Tomoon didn't like my insubordination. He said I wasn't fit for the job. Didn't have the guts, he said. I don't care what he thinks. Killing another human is unnatural. No matter if they deserve it or not, that's not for us to judge. Even if it's in the name of God, it doesn't matter. I highly doubt that God likes having people killed in his name."

He took Verica's hand and removed it from his arm gently. Then he looked at her with a grave expression. "It's always easier to kill. It's easy to get lost in a battle and deliver the final blow, without even realizing it until it's too late. It's much harder to keep control over yourself in a moment of rage while the adrenaline is pumping in your vein, feeding your anger and clouding your judgment. But that's what a monks is; that's what we do. We fight with control, our mind at peace and with strong principle. We respect life. It's hard, but believe me, it's worth it. I really meant what I taught you. Never kill if you can avoid it. If you do, it will haunt you the rest of your life."

Verica stared at him in silence. She could see so much emotions pass behind his eyes right now. She'd never realized how much Kenneth was against killing people like this. He had always insisted on this though: A monk never kills if he can avoid it. She thought it was something universal among monks. Apparently it wasn't. Not to that degree. Somehow, it made her heart melt for him even more.

Why was he so perfect?

She smiled warmly at him and nodded. "I know sensei. Don't worry. I intend to follow your teaching to the letter. Only God decides who dies and who lives and I am not God."

Kenneth put his hand on top of her head as he smiled warmly. "I don't think I could have asked for a better student." He said slowly.

"I don't think I could have asked for a better teacher either." She replied, her cheeks blushing furiously as she tried to keep eye contact with him.

They remained like this a long moment, staring at each other in silence. Verica felt like his hand on her head was burning her. The situation was awkward, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to break this strange moment of communion. It was weird how sometimes she felt like she understood him better when neither of them spoke.

"Arg, man! Be careful! You almost got me there!" A monk farther in the training ground yelled.

The sound made both Verica and Kenneth look at the yelling man. When they looked at each other again, Kenneth realized he had kept his hand on her way too long and removed it quickly. He coughed and took a few step back.

"Anyway." He said, louder than necessary as he walked away from her and summoned spheres. "I think you should try now that you understood the concept, don't you think?"

"Y-yeah, ok." Verica replied, a little shaken and confused. But she brushed it off and concentrated on her teacher's sphere coming her way.

* * *

><p>After many hours of training, Verica managed to absorb her teacher's sphere, instead of being hit pathetically. She wasn't able to make the sphere her own yet though. But she was confident that it was only a matter of time before she gets the right timing. She was preparing herself for another spirit sphere throw, but Kenneth didn't do anything. Verica realized as she looked at him that he was panting and sweating. Then, as if to confirm her observation, Kenneth bent down, resting his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.<p>

"Are you ok sensei?"

"Y-yeah..." He replied. But he staggered a little and fell to one knee. Verica rushed to him in panic. "It's ok girl. I'm not dying." He laughed.

"You need a break?"

"Yeah...I need a break." He said between pants. "I don't have as much spiritual energy as you...and summoning so many spheres...and throwing them like this...over and over again...it's tiring..."

"I'm sorry sensei. Didn't mean to exhaust you." Verica said as she mentally slapped herself. She should have realized sooner this was tiring him way more than her.

"Ah, it's ok." He said as he got up slowly. "I'll just take a rest. You can continue on your own for a while. Just...summon a sphere and absorb it. Try to use spiritual bestowment... with the right timing. It will be harder to sense when it's in the right state...but nothing you can't handle." He finished with a smile as he walked up to the tree and leaned on it. He sighed and let himself slide down the tree as he tried yet again to catch his breath. He sat cross legged and started to meditate to recover his spiritual energy faster.

Verica smiled at him as she did as she was told, letting him rest for a while.

After another hour of training on her own, she turned to look at Kenneth.

"...Sensei?"

He didn't reply. His head was bowed and his hands were not in their usual meditation position. They just laid on his thighs. Verica walked to him and sat beside him. She bowed her head to look at his face. She smiled widely when she realized he had fallen asleep there. He did say that he hadn't slept much.

She just stayed beside him and took a break from her training. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the static under her skin. She tried to etch the feeling on her memory so that once she leave, she could remember it. She had spent so many years with this sensation. It would be very strange to stop feeling it all of a sudden.

Verica looked into space sadly as she realized how much she was going to miss him. For a short moment, she couldn't quite remember why she was leaving.

Then she remembered.

Carly.

Her heart torn in her chest at the thought. Somehow she had trouble believing this was really the reason why she was leaving. But the more she thought about it, more the idea of staying here with her was unappealing. Things would become too awkward if she stayed. She was very grateful to the fact that Carly was not here right now. That way she could enjoy her last moment with her teacher alone.

Her teacher...

That was something Verica seemed to forget more than she should. With Carly here or not, Kenneth was still her teacher. This implied so many complicated things. Somehow she wondered if it would be worth the trouble, just to be with him the way she wanted.

But even if it was, it's not like Kenneth would just accept her feeling and love her back. And not with Carly around anyway...

She glanced at Kenneth from the corner of her eyes. She just wanted to lay her head on his shoulder and breathe in his scent...and forget that tomorrow she would be so far away from him.

But it wouldn't be appropriate. As much as she hated Carly, it wouldn't be right to take advantage of her absence like this. If she was here, she surely wouldn't be please to see the man she loved with another girl so close to him, even if it was his student.

'Oh hell, she's not here, so why not?' Verica thought to herself as she leaned her head on her sensei's shoulder.

She sighed in contentment and breathed deeply in his comforting scent. She let her mind wander, wrapped in this strange feeling of peace and security only he could give her. They remained like this for a moment, until Verica felt his shoulder move under her head.

She raised her head to look at him, thinking that he had waken up. But his eyes were still closed. His hand twitched and his brow furrowed as a small groan left his throat. Verica knew that expression. It was this dream again. The one in Morroc Desert where he died...and she ate his heart. She had almost forgotten about that dream. The reason why he had brought her here. No wonder he looked so distressed when he slept. She sat in front him and tried to wake him up.

"Sensei, wake up!"

She took his shoulders in her hands and shook him lightly as his expression became more painful as seconds passed.

"Sensei!"

"I'm sorry..." he whispered in his sleep as a tear fell on his cheek. The situation reminded Verica so much of what happened in the forest. It was unsettling. But then, he said something that made her froze. It was barely above a whisper and she really wondered how she managed to hear it.

"I love you so much..."

Verica stared at him with wide eyes for a long moment. Was it really the same dream? As she was pondering on it, Kenneth gave a short moan of pain and Verica decided it was now time for him to wake up. She shook him violently as she yelled his name.

His eyes snapped open and locked on hers as he gasped. His eyes were wide and he was panting heavily. He looked disoriented and scared.

"Sensei, are you alright?" She asked, her hands still on his shoulder.

Kenneth looked around him a moment to realize where he was and what happened. He sighed deeply and he ran his hand in his hair, removing the sweat from his forehead on the way. "Yes. I'm sorry. I just fell asleep."

"You had this dream again." She said in a low worried tone.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." He whispered as he tried to calm his crazy heart beat. He hated falling asleep like this, especially with this dream haunting him. And now his head hurt like hell...

"You still have this dream every night?"

"Not just every night. Whenever I sleep." He replied as he leaned his head on the tree behind him and squeezed his eyes shut. "And everytime I wake up, my head hurt like the worst hangover ever. I don't know why."

"Do you remember what you said?" Verica asked.

"No... no matter how hard I concentrate, there are parts of my dreams I can never seem to remember. It's blurry and...whenever I try to speak in my dream, I can't. I'm surprised you heard me talk."

"You said... 'I love you'.'" Verica repeated his words with hesitation.

Kenneth gave her a confused look as he laughed. "What? That doesn't make sense at all. Are you sure you heard right?"

"I...maybe not."

"Well, don't give too much importance to it." He said as he rubbed his forehead. "It's just a dream. No matter how strange it is for me to have it everyday, let's not obsess over it too much. Answers will come when the time is right, I'm sure."

Verica stared at him with a worried look as he rubbed his head in pain. The moisture left by his tear gleamed on his cheek. She wanted to wiped it away with her hand, but she didn't. "Do you want me to help? To heal you?" She asked.

Kenneth looked at her a moment, considering her proposal. She meant to heal his head, like she did 3 years ago in the forest. The prospect was very appealing. But he knew he shouldn't. It wasn't right to use heal on minor things like headaches, no matter how good it felt.

"It would be appreciated." He said, before he mentally slapped himself.

'No, that was not what you were supposed to say. Turn her down, now.' He thought to himself.

But Verica's hands were already on each side of his head, glowing with a pale greenish light. Kenneth was about to protest, but the incredible feeling of peace and comfort she gave him put his brain out of service and he sighed in satisfaction.

"God that feels good." He whispered to himself in a sigh. Verica heard him and she blushed as she tried to concentrate on her spell. She didn't know how she managed to focus, but she did; ignoring the feeling of his presence and his smell around her.

Kenneth closed his eyes and surrendered. Any thoughts he had to turn her down vanished from his head along with his headache and his whole body felt rejuvenated. How the hell could she make him feel like this was beyond him. Her spiritual energy felt so soothing. Mixed with the freesia scent of her hair, it formed an oddly reassuring feeling.

It was then he realized that, tomorrow, he would no longer feel her refreshing presence, nor smell her flowery scent. He opened his eyes quickly to look at her, almost scared that she would no longer be there if he stopped looking at her. She had her eyes closed in concentration, her cheeks slightly red as usual and the corner of her lips tilted upward naturally in an ever present subtle smile. What had he done in his life to deserve such a caring student? He'd never realized how much she was good to him. They say you never know what you have until you lose it. He understood now. She was part of his life, almost part of his environment. Somehow he had taken her for granted. But now she was going to leave. He'd never thought about that fateful day before. Maybe he should have. Maybe the shock would be less painful now.

He'd never realized how lucky he was to have her with him. She was such a charm to teach. She was a perfect student...no, a perfect girl. Kenneth remembered the day he met Alek. He had been a bit scared that the two would get together. He didn't like the idea of Verica settling down with a man and eventually leaving the abbey. But he couldn't deny that this man would be very lucky indeed. She was clever, kind, resourceful and she was such a strong woman. He realized that during their fight yesterday. Also, she always smelled so good and her skin felt like a cloud directly taken from heaven and...well, she was really beautiful. He had never wanted to admit it, but it was hard to deny now. You had to be blind not to see how pretty she was. Her long purple hair were so exotic and her dark eyes so mesmerizing. When she was younger, they were big and shining, full of innocence and desire to learn. Now they were so womanly fascinating...

She was everything a teacher could ever want to find in a student. Hell, she was everything a man could ever want in a woman! She was everything he wanted to have by his side right now...

And she was leaving him to go on a dangerous journey that could kill her...

He would die if something was to happen to her...

His heartbeat was increasing in panic as images of a dead Verica filled his mind. Then she removed her hands from his head and this incredible feeling of peace and well-being vanished, replaced by unease and fear. As he saw her hands getting farther from him, he panicked and caught them in his own, as if they would have faded away from reality forever otherwise. Verica looked up at him in surprise. Kenneth just kept his head bowed, looking at their joined hands and squeezing them. He found it painful to breath with the lump in his throat threatening to burst up in his eyes...

"I'm going to miss you so much..." He whispered, his voice vulnerable and his expression sad. He closed his eyes and bowed his head even more, not daring to look at her. Or maybe he just didn't want her to see his face right now...

Verica's heart skipped a beat. Why was he making it so damn difficult to leave? Why did he care so much about her, yet didn't care in the way she wanted to. She looked away and removed her hands from his.

"I'll miss you too sensei. But we both know it has to be done. I can't stay here forever. Not...not as things are presently." She gazed up at him and forced herself to smile while her heart screamed at how hurt he looked, knowing that it was because of her. "Thank you for the training sensei. I'll go prepare my things for tomorrow now, if you don't mind." She got up and looked down at him with a strange wounded expression.

"Yeah..." Kenneth replied, flexing his fingers into a fist, as if he was trying to capture the air. "I'll see you tomorrow..."

She turned around and walked away from him, each step more heavy than they should have felt. She felt like crying all over again. But there was no turning back now. This was for the best. Nothing good would come out of staying here, wrapped in an unhealthy love for a man...her teacher, who was out of her reach...and already in love with someone else. Even if deep inside she hated that someone else...it was none of her business.

As Kenneth watched her walking away, he felt his heart trying to make its way into his throat, as if it was trying to escape his body so that it wouldn't hurt anymore. Really, he had never realized how much he cared about that girl. It was a shame he only realized it now that she was leaving. He wondered if this was how Mathias had felt when he left for Juno himself. Probably. He remembered the way the old man had hugged him so tightly at the abbey's entrance, Kenneth thought he was going to choke. He supposed it was only normal...

Yet something felt odd. He felt like crying like a little boy right now. And really, it was very unpleasant. It was more than unpleasant...

It felt like shit...

* * *

><p>Thank you ssoooo much for reviewing if you're going to review :P and thanks to you too, silent reader :) I hope you're enjoying this. But if you're not, I'd like to know it too. If the more you're reading this, the less you're liking it, I'd really like to know how I can change that. Positive review are heartwarming to have, but I want to know what's wrong too ^^<p> 


	25. 5:Goodbyes

Early update, yay :P

Quite a big chapter here. Not corrected, because my proofreader is busy, but I'm confident it should be ok :)

I was listening to the song "Un peu plus haut, un peu plus loin" sang by Ginette Reno while correcting this and I made myself cry... because I felt like it was Verica singing...fail lol.

Important chapter here. I'm sure you can tell by the title :P So I'm not going to keep you here any longer and let you read :P

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 25 Goodbyes <strong>

Verica sat under a large tree of the abbey early in the morning as she meditated. The sun was barely rising in the sky and most people were still asleep at the sanctuary. It was when she started to get completely lost in her concentration that she felt someone approaching.

"Hey Verica." Alek said to his friend.

"Hi Alek. What are you doing here so early in the morning?" She replied as she opened her eyes and smiled.

"I could ask you the same thing, but I'm pretty sure I already know the answer. How do you feel?"

"I'm feeling ok, I guess."

"Today is the day, right?"

"Seems like it, yes." She replied.

"Are you nervous?"

"Nervous is an understatement." She said with an awkward laugh.

"Yeah, I can imagine." the younger man said as he sat beside her. "But you can always change your mind you know."

"Did you come here to make me change my mind?" Verica asked.

"Ah, well, I would lie if I said it doesn't make me sad that you're leaving." He replied honestly. "But what really worry me are your reasons honestly."

"I know..." She sighed.

Alek stared at her, worried. He only learned yesterday that she was leaving and it was already the fateful day. He couldn't help but feel like things were going too fast and that Verica might be doing a huge mistake.

"Are you really sure about this?" Alek asked again.

"No."

"...Is this supposed to reassure me?"

"I'm sorry." Verica said as she laughed quietly. "It's just the stress. I have to admit it scares me a little now."

"Then maybe you should stay."

"I don't want to stay Alek. " She sighed. "And beside, nothing bad can come out of leaving to see the world."

"Except that you could die you mean."

"I'm not going to die Alek. Please have some faith in me."

"I have a lot of faith in you Verica. But you're alone. It's dangerous to travel alone, you should know this." Alek insisted.

"I know. I'll travel to Al De Baran and once I'm there I'll try to join a party or something. Then I won't be alone. The road to Al De Baran is not too dangerous anyway."

"The road to Prontera is even safer. And it's closer."

"I don't want to start my journey there..." She said with a sad smile. "Too many memories."

This didn't seem to ease Alek's worries at all. He stared at her in fear. It almost looked like he was about to cry.

"It's going to be fine Alek, I swear."

"It sounds like you're trying to convince yourself." Alek said in a low tone.

"Maybe I am..."

They stayed under the tree and talked. Alek tried to make her change her mind one last time, but it didn't really work. No matter how scared and nervous Verica was, there was no turning back now. She had to do this. To prove herself. To live and learn.

Not just to be away from her adorable teacher who could almost make her faint by smiling at her.

Then it was time to go and Verica got up under the worried gaze of Alek.

"Verica..."

She turned around to see him getting up as well. He looked at her like it was the last time he was seeing her and it irritated her to no end.

"Oh Alek! Come on! I'm not walking to the gallows!"

"I know, I know!" He quickly said as he tried to smile. "I guess I'll just really miss you." he whispered.

"I'll miss you too Alek. I'll try to send you letters." She said. "You'll see, everything will be fine."

"Yeah, well, you can be sure that I'll pray everyday you're gone for your safety." He said as he took a step toward her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She returned the hug with a smile.

"Thank you"

They pulled away and Verica started to walk toward the sanctuary to gather her things. Alek watched her as he found himself even more worry about her than earlier.

* * *

><p>As Verica arrived in front of the sanctuary, she found a familiar silhouette leaning against the wall at the entrance. She recognized the presence right away.<p>

"Good morning sensei."

"Good morning." he said in a low tone, as if there were people sleeping near them.

"Already up?" She asked as she came to a stop in front of him.

"I didn't really sleep, to be honest."

"Me neither."

"Yeah, I can imagine why."

Verica stared at him a moment with a frown. "...You shaved?"

Kenneth froze, very taken aback by her question. Well, it was more of a statement than a real question. Obviously she could see for herself that he had shaved. "Hum...yes..." He said slowly with a frown.

"Ah." She smiled widely at him.

"What?" He asked, very confused.

"Nothing. I just prefer you without your beard. Makes you look younger. I like it." She said with a blush. Somehow her departure was making her very courageous.

Kenneth stared at her a long moment completely stun. Where did that come from? He passed his hand on his chin, suddenly very self conscious, until he realized there was a compliment in what she just said. He smiled and coughed nervously in his fist.

"Well...thanks, I guess. I'll try to remember it for when you come back." he joked.

"Hehe, how nice of you..." She said with a warm smile as she giggled softly.

They stayed in front of each other a long moment as they started to hear people gathering inside the sanctuary to eat. Both looked like they had so much to say, yet unable to put words on their thoughts. Verica broke their silence first as she took a step to enter the sanctuary.

"I'll go get my things." She said.

As she passed beside him, he caught her arm and stopped her. He didn't use more force than necessary. It's wasn't aggressive, but hesitant. Almost scared.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked, without looking at her.

"Already changed your mind sensei? Maybe I should have left yesterday." She replied with the same low tone and a comforting smile. She put her hand on his and removed it from her arm. Even through the fabric of his glove, the contact filled her fingers with strange tingles. She let go of his hand and entered the sanctuary without adding anything else.

Kenneth stayed behind and leaned back on the outer wall of the sanctuary; hands buried in his pockets and taking deep breaths. His heartbeat was ridiculously fast for someone who wasn't doing any physical effort.

He tried to calm himself, but nothing was working. He hadn't been so nervous since he became a champion himself. He had managed to forget his stress yesterday while he trained with her, but when she healed his headache, something broke inside him. Something he didn't know was there in the first place and now he felt horrible. He felt like the world was going to end the moment she stepped out of the abbey. He tried to ignore the feeling, but it was so overwhelming. The moment he rested his head on his pillow, it became worst. His brain was unable to think about anything else but her departure. He was completely lost in his thoughts; inventing all kind of scenarios Verica might experience during her travel. He had to stop, because most of the scenarios ended up with a dead Verica or worst...

He was so wrapped in his story making that he didn't feel the head master approaching him.

"I'm very surprised." She said as she stood beside him. Kenneth's head snapped up in surprise and he quickly pushed himself off the wall to bow to Yolene.

"Yolene-sama..."

"You owe me an explanation I believe, young man."

"About what?"

"About Verica. You agreed to let her leave to become a champion. Why?"

"Because she asked me to."

"You are her teacher. You're the one to decide such things, not her. She can't just ask you."

"She had good arguments."

"Yes, they must have been really good arguments to convince you." Yolene said with a big smile and put emphasis on her last word.

"Are you saying she should stay here?" Kenneth asked, almost hopeful that Yolene was going to revoke his decision. As the head master, she was in her right to do it.

"No. That would be very cruel. She's all set and ready to leave. From what I heard, she really had to fight for it." Yolene replied. The allusion to their actual fight didn't go unnoticed by Kenneth. "It would be a shame to crumble her hopes like this at the last moment."

"It would be best for her to be disappointed than dead in a few days." Kenneth whispered as he looked away.

"Don't you have faith in your student?"

"Of course I do." He sighed. "I've never seen a monk so talented. She's even better than I was at her age. I'm pretty sure she's going to become a champion at even a younger age than I did. And she's clever. She may be a bit naive, but what she lacks in experience she makes up for it in resourcefulness."

"Then why all this anxiety radiating around you?" Yolene asked with a motherly smile.

"I...I don't know." Kenneth replied. "She's going on a dangerous journey. She's my student. I care about her. Isn't it normal for me to fear for her safety?"

"Yes. It's never easy to look at your children walking away."

"Verica is no longer a child." Kenneth remarked.

"Oh?" Yolene said with a smile and false surprise. "Is that so? Finally seeing her as the woman she is I see."

"Well, it's hard to deny, don't you think?" Kenneth admitted.

"True. She has grown so much, thanks to you. You must be very proud of your student."

"I'll be even more proud once she come back alive and in one piece." Kenneth replied quickly.

"Don't be so dramatic Kenneth." Yolene said as she chuckled.

"I'm just worried about her. I would like to keep her safe forever. But I know I can't and...well, it frustrates me. And my frustration is making me anxious..."

"Oh, I think there is more to it."

Kenneth looked at the elder woman with a puzzled gaze.

"You're anxious and worried. I understand that." Yolene said. "But I think the real problem here is that you're sad."

Kenneth blinked and then narrowed his eyes at her. "Of course I'm sad."

"Why are you sad?"

"...Because she's leaving, I think that's pretty obvious." Kenneth replied, not sure where this conversation was going.

"You're sad because she's leaving, or you're sad because she's leaving YOU?"

"Th-" Kenneth looked away quickly and coughed, feigning to choke on his saliva.

Yolene laughed and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know you Kenneth. Better than you think. Under all those layers of carefree attitude and nonchalance, you're such a sweet and fragile boy." Kenneth pouted slightly at her statement. He felt like he was 12 years old when she talked to him like that.

"It must be hard for you right now, with all those mixed feelings swirling inside you. You're worried about her safety, yet proud of her progress. You want to see her grow up even more, but at the same time you miss the good old days when she was this faithful student always following you; her eyes constantly attached to your lips and drinking in everything you said in admiration. She's growing apart from you for good today. It's not easy to accept, for many reasons. But the woman she is now and the woman she will become will always be the same student you care so much about. She will always have the same place in your heart, and likewise, you'll always have a spot reserved for you in hers. Our hearts are oblivious to time and distance. Your little bud will come back, Kenneth, and she might come back as a greater flower than you think. Of course you'll miss her, but you'll only be more happy to see her again when she comes back. You'll see, everything will be fine."

Kenneth looked at the head master stunned for a brief moment before he bowed his head and smiled, not entirely sure he understood everything she said, but he was used to not getting all her hidden meanings. All in all, he supposed she meant to say that he shouldn't worry so much.

"Thank you master."

"Think about what I said Kenneth. Maybe it will help you understand your feelings. I think you don't really understand them quite as well as you think." She replied before entering the sanctuary.

Kenneth watched her disappearing inside the building, wondering what she meant by that exactly.

* * *

><p>Verica walked toward the exit after packing her things when Yolene arrived in front of her. She stopped before the older woman and bowed politely.<p>

"Master."

"Look at you Verica. A real little adventurer." Yolene smiled to the girl.

"Thank you master." She replied shyly.

"Not too nervous I hope."

"A little."

"Don't be. You have nothing to worry about. The most important for you is to have fun. See new things, meet new people and see the world. No matter what happens, keep this in mind; even the bad experiences shape us into the good person we become. But never forget where you come from and who you are. Never forget who forged you and come back to them as the great woman they know you ought to become." Yolene said before embracing the girl tenderly.

Verica hugged her back after a moment of pause, a little taken aback by what she said. But she quickly brushed it off as she felt Yolene's warmth around her. She imagined it would feel like this to hug her mother. It felt so reassuring to be in her arms. She smelled what a mother should smell. She couldn't quite describe it, but it was simply motherly. She wished Yolene didn't hide her presence constantly. She had never felt it, but somehow she knew it must be a very comforting presence. She suddenly didn't feel like leaving anymore...

But the hug was over way too soon in her opinion. The head master pulled away and smiled at Verica one last time. "Make us proud girl."

"I will."

Verica walked beside Yolene and stepped outside the sanctuary; a lump in her throat and her hands shaking slightly.

* * *

><p>Kenneth's breath caught in his lungs when he saw her emerging from the sanctuary with her bag on her back. This was really happening. Seeing her all set to begin her journey really made him realize how concrete all this was.<p>

"Well." She started nervously. "I suppose this is it."

"Yeah...I'll accompany you to the gate." Kenneth said as he started to walk away with a blank expression. Verica followed behind him slowly.

The walk to the entrance was incredibly short, both in Verica and Kenneth's opinion. They passed the gate and stopped just in front of the entrance. Verica looked up at the arch and remembered the first time she came here 8 years ago. That day seemed so far away now.

"This is your last chance to back off girl." She heard Kenneth say. She looked at him and smiled the best she could.

"No. It's already too late to back off." She said.

Kenneth stared at her with the same blank expression as earlier, but Verica was no fool. She could read him better than he thought. His eyes held a hint of sadness and his tense body were enough to tell her that he was everything but calm. She didn't want him to be sad, but she supposed it couldn't be help.

"There's a lot of things I'd like to say." She whispered as she looked around nervously.

"Me too...but you know how good I am with words." he joked. Verica giggled lightly before looking up into his eyes again.

"I...I just want to tell you that I'm very grateful to you." Verica said shyly. Kenneth gave her a confused gaze. "That day, 8 years ago, when I got up in the morning...I never thought my life would change so drastically because of you."

"You don't regret your choice?"

"No. Never. I enjoyed every moment I spent here...with you." She replied as she looked away timidly.

"It's reciprocal." Kenneth said with a small smile.

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment before Kenneth coughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head "I hum..." He reached inside his pocket and got a studded knuckle out of it. It looked pretty old and it had obviously been used a lot. "I don't know if you want it but, hum, I thought maybe it could be useful..." He said as he looked everywhere except at Verica.

"Is it yours?"

"Yeah, well, I haven't used it in a long time. Mathias gave it to me when I left to become a champion. I thought that...well, maybe we could, you know, continue some kind of tradition or...some cheesy thing like that..." He continued, his face turning redder with every word leaving his lips. "It's alright if you don't want it. I mean, I never trained you to use weapons. I'll understand if you don't see a use for it. But it's not very different from fighting with your bare hands. And it kind of protects your hand a little too and..." Verica took the knuckle and put it on. "...And I'm really rambling on right now." He finished with a nervous sigh.

"Thank you so much sensei. It means a lot." She said with a bright smile as she put the weapon in her pocket.

"Yeah, well, it's...it's nothing really." He stuttered, shifting uncomfortably in front of her. "I mean, I suppose I should have given you something more sentimental; something more personal that will help you remember me...but I don't have anything like that and this knuckle served me pretty well in the past and... well, let's face it; it's way more useful than a necklace or-"

"You're blabbering again sensei." Verica said, suppressing a giggle.

"Y-yeah...I'm sorry." Kenneth sighed and ran his hand through his hair nervously. "Are you really sure that-"

"Yes sensei. I'm sure." She replied, slightly annoyed at this question she had been asked so many times now.

"Alright..."

Verica stared at him a moment before she took a deep breath and tried to speak with a clear voice. She had to tell him. It was now or never. She had to handle this like a grown up woman.

"Sensei?"

"Yes?"

"I...I really wanted to tell you something. And I would feel very bad if I didn't tell you before leaving."

Kenneth stared at her, perplex, but obviously curious. Verica took another deep breath and forced herself to smile.

"I just...I'm really happy for you sensei. I wanted you to know this."

Kenneth's head moved back a little. "Happy? For what?"

"About you and Carly." She said, doing her best not to let her emotions show in her voice. "I'm glad you moved on. And I'm glad it's with her. She's... a great woman and she loves you so much. I'm very happy for both of you." She finished, very impressed with her self-control. That slut, a great woman? In another dimension maybe...but it was none of her business. Who was she to judge?

Kenneth stared at her in utter confusion for a long moment, then he narrowed his eyes. He looked very puzzled and suspicious at the same time.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Verica looked up at him with a frown. "You and Carly." She repeated. "I'm happy for you."

"Me and Carly? What's with me and Carly?"

"Well, you...you're together. I mean, you and her are-"

"What?" He interrupted her before laughing at what he was hearing. "There is nothing between me and Carly. What made you think that."

"I saw you together...at the south cliff." Verica said. Her voice shook a little in anger; jealousy getting the better of her as she remembered the scene.

"You..." Kenneth's breath caught in his lungs and his eyes widened. She saw them? Oh God, how awkward. He looked away and laughed nervously. "N-no, that... I know what it looked like, but it's not like that. She just...well, let's just say it was a small slip on my part. But it only lasted a few seconds and nothing happened beyond that. And I made it clear that it was inappropriate and never to happen again."

Verica stared at him with wide eyes and her mouth opened like a fish. This was a joke. It had to be. Why was he lying to her?

"But...Carly told me you were together." She stuttered.

"She what?" Kenneth said as his eyes narrowed even more. He suddenly looked really upset. "What did she tell you exactly?"

"She told me she'd finally made you understand how much she loved you. That you had moved on about your past and that you were willing to give a chance to your relationship with her." Verica said, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest.

Kenneth snorted and shook his head. He cursed under his breath as he looked to the side, deep in thoughts all of a sudden, trying to make sense of this. What the hell was wrong with that woman? Why was she going around telling lies like this. He really had to talk with her.

"Sensei?"

"I'm sorry Verica." Kenneth said as he looked back at her. "I don't know why she told you this, because it's not true. Carly's been acting strange since she came back. I don't know what's wrong with her. But I assure you I intend to find out."

Verica blinked at him a few time. "So...there's nothing between you two?"

"Of course not." Kenneth said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Carly is a friend and that's all she'll ever be. And you know me well enough to know I'm not the kind of man to take luxury sins lightly."

Verica blinked again as she felt her muscles abandon her for a second. The ground seemed to tilt but she managed to stay straight as realization dawned on her.

It took her all of her will not to crumble to her feet and sob pathetically. Kenneth was not with Carly. He didn't love her! She was so happy she couldn't even put words on her feelings. It was beyond joy. He was not with her! He didn't love her! All her angst from the past few days vanished from her heart and she was more than happy to let those feelings go.

Once the shock and joy was passed, she realized what this meant too.

She no longer had any reasons to leave...

"Is everything alright girl?" Kenneth asked.

"Yes!" She said quickly. "Yes. I'm just...surprised. I-I really thought you, hum, nevermind..."

"Well, I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. Not that it changes anything in your life anyway." Kenneth said with a chuckle.

"Y-yeah..."

Verica didn't know what to say nor what to do anymore. Was it too late to back off now?

"So...hum, I suppose I should let you leave then." Kenneth said hesitantly after a long moment of silence. His voice was so sad and hurt that Verica felt guilty, knowing that she was to blame for his condition.

She looked up at him, trying not to let her panic show in her eyes. She couldn't change her mind now. She had worked so hard to convince him. What would he think if she backed off now? It wouldn't make sense at all...

"Are you sure you're ok?" Kenneth asked again, obviously worried.

"Yes sensei. I'm ok. Sorry, it's just...harder than I thought." She half lied.

Kenneth smiled sadly at her. "Yes, I understand it all too well." He looked at her a long moment in silence; his breathing a bit erratic because of the stress. He seemed hesitant, as if he was debating with himself if he should say what he wanted to. "You know..."

"Yes?" She said quickly, as if she was expecting him to say something in particular.

Kenneth stared at Verica a few seconds before looking to the side, his cheeks blushing furiously and his hand rubbing his neck unnecessarily.

"I...hum, you know I'm not good at this but, well, I just wanted you to know that I really..."

He paused again and sighed deeply. Verica couldn't help but find him extremely cute, all flushed and stuttering like this. It was rare for him to look so vulnerable, but right now he almost looked like a child. He was so adorable...

"You don't have to say anything sensei." She said, hoping to ease his awkwardness a little. "I already know what you're going to say."

"Maybe." He said in a low tone. "But I don't think I could forgive myself if I didn't tell you anyway. Not at a time like this." he admitted as he looked at her in the eyes. His gaze was so intense and his voice so honest it was hard to bear. She'd never seen him like this before. She didn't know what kind of superior force granted her the strength not to faint right there on the spot.

He bowed his head and looked to the ground before he spoke again. "When I saw you in Prontera, I recognized the girl from my dream in you. I already admitted this to you, but... if it wasn't for my dream, I wouldn't have brought you here."

Verica looked at him sadly. Why was he bringing this up now?

"But you have no idea... how much I care about you right now." He said as he looked up at her, his voice low and full of sincerity. He looked so nervous, almost disoriented. "I don't know what my life would be like if I hadn't brought you here, and I don't want to know, because I wouldn't exchange it for anything. Not even..." He paused and apparently decided to change his sentence. "Well, let's just say you're one of the...no, you're the best thing that has happened to me... in a long time." He continued, his gaze drifting to his feet again.

Verica could only stare at him, hearing her heart beating in her ears and her bones transforming into goo as his words went straight to her heart.

"We spent so many years together and... I-I have to admit I, hum, never really fully appreciated you like... like I should have. Y-you're one of the person I care the most about and I would never..." He hesitated again as he took a step toward her without realizing it. Verica held her breath as he continued. "I would never be able to bear it if you were to never come back." He whispered, still looking at the ground with a wounded expression. She hated his expression.

"But I will come back." She whispered in the same low tone, her breathing shallow and her eyes locked on him.

"Don't make promises you can't keep..." He replied, almost pleading, as he looked back at her. He looked so scared and vulnerable; his emotions brightly exposed for her to see, without his consent.

They stared at each other for an eternity. Neither of them knew what to say and Kenneth felt that if he spoke, the lump in his throat would betray him and shake his voice. So he just stared at her, shamelessly. He needed to remember what she looked like. He tried to memorize the exact color of her hair, the precise shape of her lips and this strange feeling her gaze gave him...

Those big dark eyes...when did they become so sensual? So deep? It was as if her eyes could see into his very soul and understand him better than he could understand himself. His eyes drifted down her body, slowly, and he noticed that her chest was moving up and down more quickly than usual; her breast following the movement in a very mesmerizing manner.

He closed his eyes when he realized he had been staring a second too long and hoped she didn't notice.

"S-sensei?" Verica whispered after a long moment of strange silence.

He opened his eyes again and locked his gaze with hers. Panic rose inside him all of a sudden, taking the place in his brain where rationality usually was. What if she really never came back? What if he was to never see her again? Never feel her presence close to him or never hear her laugh again? What if she died? His heart would stop beating instantly in his chest if she was to die. He swallowed hard at the thought. Images of a bloody Verica taking her last breath filled his mind and his knees almost buckled. His fingers shook and he felt this incomprehensible need to touch her, as if somehow he needed to confirm that this girl in front of him was really there and alive.

Before his brain could realize that his hands had moved, he pulled on her shoulders to bring her toward him. Wrapping his arms around her shoulders and back, he trapped her against his chest and bowed his head, pressing his cheek on her temple as a deep and quivering sigh escaped his lips. Then, with a pleading and shaky voice, he whispered.

"Just come back alive."

Verica didn't listen to what he said. She simply felt his breath on her ear and shivers ran everywhere in her body. So much that he probably felt it. It was not the first time he hugged her, of course not. But this was so different on so many levels. The way he held her like his life depended on it felt odd. The way his head was so close to her, his cheek pressed on her, his mouth so close to her ear; it felt so...intimate. She'd never felt so close to him before, except maybe that time in the forest 3 years ago. But this was different. The intimacy was not just in her head, it was really there. She couldn't explain it to herself though, with her brain melting inside her head and unable to put two thoughts together correctly.

She closed her eyes and a small tear streamed down her cheek. She didn't want to leave anymore. How could she? She wanted to stay here, exactly like this, pressed against him for the rest of her life. She didn't want to go anymore.

Her arms wrapped around his waist and her hands fisted in his coat. She pressed her cheek against his collarbone, feeling his heart beating against her chest, as if it was beating just for her to feel. Her arms shook slightly as she struggled not to start crying uncontrollably.

Kenneth wanted to slap himself at the moment. It was probably not easy for her to leave, and here he was, getting all emotional and dramatic on her. He had to get a hold of himself, for both their sakes. It had to be done. This is what she wanted; to leave. No matter how he felt, it wasn't right to lay his fears on her like this.

He moved his head back a little to look at her, forcing her head to pull away from him, but her hands still clung to his clothes. He saw the tears on her cheeks and his expression torn. A strange display of sadness and disapproval.

"Oh God, please don't cry..." He whispered as he cupped her cheek to whip away the moisture left by her tears. "You'll make this impossible if you cry..."

Verica closed her eyes and unconsciously leaned in his touch. How could she ever want to be away from this man? How could she leave now?

As Kenneth brushed his thumb against her cheek, he suddenly really wished he didn't have his gloves on. That way he could feel her warm and soft skin under his finger one last time before she left. The thought should have disturbed him greatly, but all he could think about was this delicate skin his glove prevented him from feeling. For a brief moment, he really considered removing them.

"My, my, what's going on here? Is someone dead?"

Kenneth's hand left Verica's cheek in a heartbeat as he took a step away from her. She let go of his coat as fast and she turned around quickly. They both saw Mathias walking toward them at a slow and nonchalant pace.

"Sensei. I didn't know you'd be back today" Kenneth said, trying to calm his crazy heart beat. What the hell just happened? Why was his heart beating so fast anyway? And why did he let go of her like this, as if they were doing something wrong?

Why was he feeling the heat rise in his cheeks?

"Yeah, well I did." Mathias replied as he came to a stop in front of his two favorite monks. "What's all this about? What are you doing here? You both look very strange. And why do you have your backpack on girl?"

Verica cleared her throat roughly before she spoke.

"I'm leaving." She simply said.

Mathias looked at her, unmoved, for a short moment.

"Pardon?"

"She's leaving." Kenneth repeated. "She's going to Juno."

Mathias looked at the two monks in front of him as his eyes grew wider every second.

"You're kidding, right?" He said, apparently not thrilled by the idea.

Verica almost found relief in Mathias' reaction. If he was against it, maybe she could back off without feeling humiliated...

"She's not. She made it pretty clear she wanted to leave." Kenneth replied.

Mathias turned an outraged gaze toward Verica. "And you were going to leave without saying goodbye to me? You're so hurting my feelings right now!" He said in a false hurt tone.

Well, this wasn't the reaction Verica hoped for...

"I-I'm sorry Mathias. I didn't know when you would come back and I..." She turned toward Kenneth a brief moment. "I wanted to leave...as soon as possible." She finished hesitantly.

"Gah, it's ok. How could I ever be mad at you?" Mathias said with a grin as he walked toward her. He pulled her toward him into a hug that she gladly returned. "This is great news. I wish you luck girl, though I doubt you'll need it."

"You're ok with it?" Verica asked.

"Well, it's not my decision to make, really." Mathias said as he pulled away. "But I don't see why you shouldn't. I mean, your training is basically over. Staying here won't grant you any experience. I think it's a good idea for you to see the world, if you are ready for it."

'I really hope she is." Kenneth thought.

Verica felt disappointed for a moment. She had really hoped Mathias would force her to reconsider. But now here she was; Kenneth agreed, Yolene agreed and Mathias agreed. There were no reasons for her not to go unless she didn't want anymore...

"Are you sure you're well prepared?" Mathias asked to Verica.

"She is, Mathias. Don't worry about it." Kenneth replied in her stead.

"I'm surprised you agreed to this Kenneth."

"She had good arguments."

"Hmm, I'm sensing a story behind this." Mathias said with a curious smile.

"None of your business. You just had to be here if you wanted gossips."

"As if I was the kind to gossip. It hurts me you're thinking that about me."

"I don't care."

"You're so cruel."

"You're so senile."

"Remember a time when you used to look up to me?"

"Nope."

"Kids these days are so ungrateful."

"Kid? You seem to forget my age, old man."

"Yeah, well, you said yourself I was senile. You can't expect me to remember trivial details such as your age."

As Mathias and Kenneth began their usual surge of nonsense and insults, Verica looked at the abbey with doubt. This really was her last chance to abandon. Was she making the right decision? Maybe she wasn't really ready. Maybe she could stay...

She shook her head as she sighed. No, she couldn't stay. No matter if Kenneth was with Carly or not, it didn't change anything to the fact that Kenneth was her teacher. It's not like she could just confess her love now and live happily ever after with him. That was so ridiculous, she almost laughed at the thought.

No, She had to leave. She had to be away from him and forget him somehow. Her obsession with him was unhealthy and was clearly getting in the way of her quest toward inner peace, with all those thoughts hunting her mind.

And as she repeated to herself the last few days; she was doing this for herself. She needed this. In a few years, she would come back; her mind at peace and more mature. Then things would be clearer and she would be able to get over him. Yes, leaving really was for the best.

...Or was it?

Her train of thoughts were interrupted by Kenneth's voice getting louder every second as he seemed to be on the verge of punching Mathias' grinning face into the ground.

"You're the worst teacher Rune Midgard has ever seen..." Kenneth said in exasperation.

"And you're the most ungrateful student in history. I swear you're becoming more tight-assed every day." Mathias replied with a smile.

"You-"

"Where are your manners boy? Really. Your student is leaving and here you are, arguing over nothing with a crazy old man. I thought I taught you better etiquette than that." Mathias said as he turned toward Verica and winked at her. She tried really hard not to giggle.

Kenneth didn't even make the effort of replying and just shook his head.

"Well, I'm really glad I came back in time to see you before you leave girl." Mathias said as he took her hand and kissed it gently like he often did when she was younger. It made her giggle lightly. "Maybe you'll find yourself a nice crusader to keep you warm at night-"

"Mathias!" Kenneth yelled.

"Or a hunter or...a huntress. Which is... perfectly fine too, you know."

"For fuck's sake old man! I swear you-"

"Watch your language boy."

"You- th- n..." Kenneth stuttered, then groaned in exasperation and looked away as Verica laughed heartily.

"Thank you Mathias, but I think I'll keep myself warm alone." She said with a smile.

"Seriously though, you should look for companions. It's always safer to travel in group." Mathias said more seriously.

"I will Mathias."

"Good girl." he said as he patted her on the head with a smile.

And with that he passed the door of the abbey and left the teacher and student alone. Kenneth gazed up awkwardly at Verica.

"I know you don't want me to ask you again, but are you really sure?" He said with a deep sigh.

Verica hesitated a moment and obviously Kenneth noticed because she saw a sparkle of hope in his eye. But in the end, even if she stayed, things wouldn't change the way she wanted...

"Yes. I'm sure sensei."

Kenneth sighed again. "Alright." He put his hands in his pocket and forced himself to smile. "You'll write to me?"

"Of course."

"Ok." He paused "Choose your companions carefully will you? You don't want to team up with people with bad morals...like assassins. Stay away from the assassins."

"Personal grudge?" She said with a chuckle.

"Kind of..." Kenneth said as he looked away and shifted uncomfortably, as if a wound had suddenly reopened on his back.

"You would have died, poisoned, if it wasn't for that assassin lady 3 years ago." She reminded him.

"Yeah, well, exception only proves the rule." He defended himself.

"I'll be careful sensei." She replied with a small laugh.

"Alright..."

'Don't let her go...do something, say something, whatever, just don't let her leave.' His heart screamed to his brain, but he ignored it.

Another long silence followed and then Verica took a step to leave. "Goodbye sensei."

"Goodbye girl. Take care of yourself...and stay safe." Kenneth said slowly.

"I will."

She took a step and Kenneth unconsciously took a step too as his fists tightened in his pockets.

'Run to her, grab her arm, knock her unconscious and get her back into the abbey. Do something...'

Verica turned her back to her sensei and started to walk toward the forest. Kenneth's breath caught in his lungs as the lump in his throat got more unbearable with each passing seconds.

'This is your last chance old man. You're doing the greatest mistake of your life. Don't let her go!'

His heart was getting hard to ignore, but his brain won in the end. He closed his eyes and took a step to the side toward the abbey, already feeling his heart getting filled with regrets and loneliness.

Verica had only taken a few steps when she came to a stop; her heart beating so fast it was maddening. She turned around and saw him close his eyes. Panic seized her heart and she breathed heavily. This couldn't end like this. All she wanted was to hug him, kiss him and tell him that she loved him. She hated her heart right now for making her feel so desperate. Her feet moved on their own and she ran toward her sensei, almost jumping on him, as she pulled him into a tight and suffocating hug.

Kenneth turned around as he heard her footsteps. He was shocked at first, but quickly he wrapped his arms around her as well, accepting the embrace more than willingly. He breathed in her scent and tried to etch it on his memory as he let his arms tightened around her; pressing her more firmly against him. It made him feel so good to be close to her like this. Maybe it was inappropriate, but he couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. He would worry about what it meant later. Right now he just wanted to feel her. To confirm she really was there.

Verica leaned in the hug even more. A few tears wetted the crook of his neck before she raised her head and gazed up at him. He looked so sad. Her heart shrank in her chest, trying to hide from the guilt. Why was she doing this to him. Why was she doing this to herself?

Maybe she could stay. Maybe she could make him understand...maybe she could...

"I love you." She said, simply, leaving him the task of understanding what she really meant. She didn't know why she did it. Maybe she felt like this was her last chance to let him know. All she knew is that she felt a wave of heat and numbness wash over her the moment the words left her lips.

She saw his eyes widen in surprise a fraction of a second, but then they softened and he smiled warmly.

"Me too girl."

No. That's not how she meant it. He didn't understand. How could he? It was so ridiculous. She smiled sadly and let go of him. They stared at each other one last time and, in an incredible moment of courage, or insanity, she wasn't sure, she raised her head and moved her lips toward his cheek.

She was being selfish and slightly masochist right now, but the urge to do it was so intense she couldn't help herself. The prospect of not having to face him afterward helped her greatly too.

Kenneth's head moved back a little in surprise but he didn't stop her. He saw her close her eyes and then felt her hot lips place a soft kiss on his cheek.

The kiss only lasted 2 seconds, but to him it looked like an eternity. Everything seemed to blur around him and play in slow-motion. He felt her breast brush lightly against his chest, the soft material of her top caressing his skin. Her lips on his cheek were softer, warmer and wetter than he remembered them to be when he touched them with his fingers. The fresh, windy feeling of her presence was everywhere around him; numbing his senses in peace and comfort. When she withdrew her head, he felt her hot breath on his face and shivers ran in his entire body, leaving tingles in their wake and settling down in his abdomen in a strange sensation of heat, as if water was bubbling low in his stomach. His fingers twitched as he stayed there, looking at her in confusion, flustered, unable to put his thoughts together and desperately trying to ignore his heart screaming for him to grab her and...

But then she smiled. The most beautiful smile he had ever seen in his life and he swore his heart stopped beating for a moment.

"I'll miss you sensei." She whispered, smiling brightly with innocence.

He couldn't help but smile too. "I'll miss you too..." He replied, ignoring his confusion as he tried to take a mental picture of that beautiful smile. Then she turned around and walked away. Kenneth remained where he was and stared at her back, until he couldn't see her anymore. Even then, he stayed where he was, stunned and not really understanding what just happened. All he understood is that he felt cold all of a sudden.

And that his heart was beating faster than it ever had...

Verica came to a stop when she couldn't feel her sensei's presence anymore. The butterflies in her stomach were going crazy. She couldn't believe what she just did. But she couldn't help but think that maybe he was going to remember her differently because of it. She sure was going to remember the feeling of his skin on her lips for the rest of her journey...so far away from him.

She repressed the lump in her throat as she brushed away her thoughts and walked toward her new life. A new life that was a complete mystery to her. She couldn't quite say if she felt excited like the day she left Prontera, or scared to death like a prisoners walking to the gallows.

* * *

><p>Aahhh, I hope you liked this and that you're looking forward to the rest as much as I do :D Things are going to take quite a different turn :P<p> 


	26. 5:Haunting my sleep

My chapters always end up being so much bigger than I want them to be... -_-

Anyway, some tiny mature content here. On the same level as chapter 17 I guess. Nothing explicit.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 26 Haunting my sleep<strong>

"What is he doing?" Bashu asked to Mathias as both of them watched Kenneth, sitting a few meters away on a rock. He was hunched over and brushing the ground below him with a tree branch. His head rested in the palm of his hand as his thumb brushed absently against his cheek.

"I don't know. He's...drawing in the sand..." Mathias replied with an unusual seriousness in his voice.

"He's been sitting there all morning, scribbling with that stick. He looks fucking dead. What the hell happened?"

"Well, I'm just guessing, but I think it's probably related to Verica's journey."

"Still, isn't his reaction a bit excessive?" Bashu said with a shrug. "I mean, he looks like a child whose dog just died, trampled by a peco peco."

"What kind of comparison is that?" Mathias asked with a frown, turning his head toward the brown haired man beside him.

"I'm just saying he looks like shit." Bashu replied as he buried his hands in his pockets. "I warned him last year that it would be hard to let her go. He didn't listen to me. Now he's paying for it." He sighed as he turned around and left, leaving Mathias alone to spy on Kenneth.

He watched him for a few more minutes before sighing deeply and walking toward him, announcing his presence to his depressed student. The younger man didn't make any movement to acknowledge his teacher until he was right beside him.

"Hi Mathias." He said, his eyes not leaving his scribbles on the ground.

"Hi boy..." Mathias replied. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine."

"Don't give me that bullshit." Mathias said, louder than he intended. Kenneth looked at him from the corner of his eyes lazily. He sighed before straightening up, erasing his drawing with his foot.

"What do you want old man?" He asked, not doing any effort to hide his annoyance.

"I think you need to talk."

Kenneth snorted and threw his stick on the ground. He put his hands on his knees and pushed himself off the rock.

"That's very thoughtful of you, but I don't need to ta-"

Mathias put his hand on his shoulder and pushed not-so-gently on it, forcing him to sit back on the rock. Kenneth raised his pale blue eyes up at him in exasperation.

"Alright..." Kenneth said with a sigh. "What do I need to talk about?"

"You know what." Mathias said, taking a seat beside him. "I want to know why you've been sitting here all morning with that grieving face, despite the fact that no one is dead."

Kenneth ignored his sensei's question as he rested his arms on his knees and looked absently into space, obviously having no intention of talking with Mathias right now.

The older man sighed in annoyance. "Don't be a baby." He took Kenneth's chin in the palm of his hand and forced him to look at him, more forcefully than necessary. Kenneth moved his head away to get out of his grip and glared at his teacher. He hated when he did that. Mathias simply gave him a blank gaze in return. "What's wrong?" he insisted, withdrawing his hand and putting it on Kenneth's back.

Kenneth took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. He immediately regretted it. The alcohol in Mathias' breath reached his nose and it made his stomach twist slightly. Just enough to annoy him.

"You only came back this morning and already your breath stinks. You want to talk about my problems? Maybe we should talk about yours."

Mathias removed his hand from his back and leaned forward to rest his arms on his knees, mimicking Kenneth's position. He chuckled deeply as he smiled. "I'm happy with my problems. You're clearly not."

Kenneth couldn't help but laugh at this. This man was so comfortable with his faults and vices. He often found himself jealous of that. Must be nice to do whatever you want without feeling guilty afterward...

"Talk to me boy." Mathias whispered.

"I don't know what to tell you sensei." Kenneth replied honestly. "I don't understand anything anymore."

"Just say something and give me the illusion that I'm actually helping you." Mathias said as he reached inside his pocket for his small bottle of rum.

Kenneth chuckled. "Stupid old man."

"Well, at least I'm making you laugh. I guess I'm not completely useless." Mathias said with a smile.

The two men remained silent for a moment. Mathias held his bottle out to Kenneth, who declined the offer with a disgusted face. The younger man looked up at the sky and sighed.

"Sensei."

"Hm?"

"When I left for Juno, how did you feel?" Kenneth asked as he looked back at Mathias.

"Well, I was worried about you, of course. But I had faith in your capacity. I knew you'd make it."

"Yeah but...how did you feel, personally? Didn't you feel like something was missing?"

"Sorry boy. I'm not sure I understand. Is that how you're feeling? Like something is missing?"

"It's more than that." He paused and looked absently in front of him. "I feel empty. I feel cold. I don't know what to do with myself anymore." He sighed deeply and rubbed his face with his hands. "I'm ridiculous. She just left a few hours ago and I already miss her so much. I just can't get her out of my head."

"You two were very close. I think it's normal for you to miss her. You were so used to be with her." Mathias remarked.

"Maybe. Although I can't help but think it's more than that. This morning...I looked at her walking away from me and I swear my heart stopped beating. I felt so many things at the same time I couldn't even understand all of them."

"Aren't you overreacting a little to all this boy?" Mathias said with a raised brow.

Kenneth sighed and ran his hand in his hair, keeping his hand on his head afterward as if he suddenly had a headache. He wished he was overreacting. Truth was that he missed her so much already. Their last moment played in loop in his head. Her dark and sensual gaze looking straight into his soul, her heart beating against his own through her breast, her soft and warm lips on his cheek, her smile...the most adorable smile he had ever seen in his entire life, directed at him.

Just thinking about it made him feel lightheaded again...and warmer in the lower part of his body.

So many memories of her that seemed so inappropriate, yet he couldn't stop them from rushing to the front of his mind. Was this really Carly's fault? Had her actions really awakened this inside him? Had she really made him so weak and needy that he was projecting his desires and lust on Verica? Was it being projected on her by coincidence because she was the closest woman to him or was it some kind of sick repressed part of his mind getting off on some perverted student cliché? Oh God, please don't let it be the latest...

Or maybe was he overreacting to all this? Giving indecent meaning to normal feelings? Misinterpreting them?

"This is not how a teacher feels when his student leaves..." Kenneth whispered, shaking his head in disapproval toward himself.

"You and Verica were more than teacher and student Kenneth. You're her family. I would say a father, but she's a bit old to be your daughter. But you're not really a brother either...Now that I think about it, your relationship with her is hard to define." Mathias said with a thoughtful expression, remembering how he had found them in each other's arms this morning. He had never realized just how close those two were. "But I think your reaction is normal, even if it's a bit exaggerated. But that's just who you are. Things often seem more serious than they really are for you. You shouldn't worry so much." He finished as he chuckled in his bottle.

Kenneth sighed deeply as he looked at his ex-teacher and nodded. "Yeah...you're right. I suppose I'm just nervous to know if this was really a good idea. You know, to let her leave like this." He said, trying to convince himself as he nervously rubbed his hands together.

"Well, you shouldn't ignore your intuition either." Mathias remarked.

"What do you mean?" Kenneth asked with a frown.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do boy, but everything happened so quickly." Mathias said as he took another sip of his poison. "If you feel so uneasy, maybe it's because you have a feeling that something's going to go wrong. Maybe it's justified, maybe it's not. That's your call to make. If you think she should come back, go after her and bring her back. If you think your reaction is just emotional and there's really nothing to worry about, stay here and let her spread her wings for good. But please, stop sitting here like a dead man." Mathias finished with an exasperated smile as he got up from the rock.

Kenneth sighed again with a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to look so depressed. But you're right. Sitting here all gloomy won't do any good." He chuckled as he looked up at Mathias. "Thank you old man. I suppose you're not as senile as I thought."

"It's all thanks to my remedy." Mathias said as he pointed his bottle of alcohol. "Keeps me young and dashing!"

Kenneth tried not to laugh, but he failed pathetically. "You're such a fool."

"That's how you love me, don't try to deny it." Mathias said as he raised his bottle in the air in an imaginary toast before drinking. Kenneth's smile faded as his eyes locked on the small bottle.

"You know you can't expect your liver to keep up with you forever." He whispered, his expression grave and worried all of a sudden

"Good God, look at the time!" Mathias exclaimed as he looked up at the sun. "I would LOVE to stay here and discuss the imminent failure of my internal organs with you boy, but I have so much important things to do that can absolutely not wait. I'm afraid I'll have to go." He yelled above his shoulder as he walked away with hasty steps.

Kenneth watched his teacher walking away as he smiled and shook his head. Stupid old man...

Now...what should he do?

* * *

><p>It was already 2 hours past noon when Verica came to a stop and put her bag down on the ground with a sigh. She had already stopped a few hours ago to eat, but her lack of sleep from the past few days was starting to show, making her feet heavy. She settled down on the ground and after checking her map to make sure she was going in the right direction toward Al de Baran, she decided to take a break.<p>

She sat at the base of a tree and closed her eyes. She listened to the wind in the tree leaves and the birds singing in the distance. As she sat there, alone and with nothing to do but be with herself, she felt a pang of loneliness all of a sudden. She wasn't used to this. It had been so strange just to eat alone. Now here she was, in the middle of the forest, with no one around. She'd never been alone before. This was so strange...

She yawned as she rested her head on the tree trunk. She hadn't slept at all last night and she felt so sleepy. She hadn't been able to sleep because of the stress. She also couldn't stop thinking about Kenneth all night long. Even now he wouldn't leave her mind, but she was partly to blame for that. She raised her fingers and caressed her lips slowly, the feeling of his skin lingering on them. She felt so frivolous and bold from what she had done this morning. She was so pathetic. Compared to the erotic encounters the heroine in Alek's book had, this was so innocent and childish...

But she had to stop thinking about it. This was not the time to dwell in memory. She was leaving to get away from him. She was leaving to clear things in her head. It wouldn't work if he plagued her mind like that. She had to get a hold of herself. She was on a dangerous and important journey to seek inner peace and enlightenment to become a champion. This was no time for superficial thoughts, such as the sad state of her desperate heart. Her stupid heart clinging to a man oblivious to her. A man still attached to a dead woman, no matter how hard he tried to show otherwise. Maybe he had moved on about her death, but Verica was sure it would take a lot to ever get him to open up to another woman...

But this was not the time to think about it...

She sighed in exasperation with herself. She was unable not to think about him. But she'd only been away for half a day. She would need a lot of time to stop thinking about him obsessively like this.

She closed her eyes a moment, taking deep breaths and trying to block images of pale blue eyes looking at her.

Then she heard footsteps coming from her left.

Her eyes snapped open and she reached inside her pocket for the studded knuckle. She looked toward the noise and tried to feel a presence, but didn't feel anything. She got up and waited, her body ready to jump on any enemy.

Then a man emerged from the trees and looked straight at her.

And her heart stopped.

"...Sensei?!" Verica said in disbelief as she put her weapon back in her pocket.

"Verica..." Kenneth replied as he tried to catch his breath. Obviously he had been running.

"...W-what are you doing here?" She asked.

"I, hum..." he walked toward her slowly. "I'm not entirely sure, actually."

Verica stared at him with wide eyes, feeling her heart beating faster and faster as he moved closer to her. Was she hallucinating now? No, she could feel his presence getting closer to her. He really was there...but how? Why?

"I suppose I just...couldn't let you leave."

"W-what do you mean?" Verica stuttered.

"I don't know Verica." He said as he came to a stop right in front of her. "When you left this morning I just...I don't know. Something broke inside me. I don't understand it. I...I'm pretty confused right now honestly..." He laughed nervously as he rubbed the nape of his neck. "A-all I know is that I couldn't stop thinking about you. About you and what you mean for me and all those strange moments that happened between us in the last few days..."

"I-I don't understand." She stuttered in confusion and anxiety.

"I'm sorry. I can't really explain it either. No matter how much I thought about it, it only left me more confused a-and..." He sighed and looked away from her. "I thought and thought and thought and then I just...ran. I ran as fast as I could to catch up with you. Because I didn't know what else to do. I didn't understand...and I still don't understand what's going on. The only thing I know is that no matter how hard I try to control myself I... gah, this is so maddening." He said as he snorted and shook his head. "Even after you left, even now, I still feel your lips on my cheek and..." He paused and looked straight into her eyes. He was so close to her she just had to lean forward a little to touch him. The air was suffocating around her.

Kenneth sighed and closed his eyes. "Why did you kiss me this morning?" he whispered, his voice pleading for answers.

"I..." Verica hesitated a moment. "I don't know."

"Really?" He asked after he opened his eyes and raised a brow in disbelief.

"I just...wanted to do it." She continued, her heart beating in her ears and making her almost deaf.

"I think you wanted to do more than that." He whispered. His husky voice made her shiver, despite the heat spreading in her cheeks. She felt cold and hot at the same time.

"I-I don't know what you're-"

"I don't know what I'm doing Verica." He interrupted her as he raised his hand to his student's face. He brushed a lock of hair away from her face and his fingers brushed against her cheek. "I just know that...I want to do it..." His fingers moved down to reach her lips and his hand shook when he touched them as he whispered in a sigh. "And that I like it..."

She saw his eyes close and his hand moved behind her head to bring her to him, his other hand cupping her cheek. She held her breath and her eyes widened in shock. She opened her mouth to say something, but his own lips prevented her from voicing any kind of thoughts.

He pressed his mouth on hers gently; both of his hands keeping her head in place. This strange feeling of static his aura always caused was everywhere around her. She couldn't think, she couldn't smell, she couldn't breath. All she could do was feel the pressure on her lips and the butterflies thrashing around in her stomach. She felt so confused. This was too strange. She didn't understand. What the hell was going on? She raised her hands up and pushed on his chest as she forced her head out of his grip, the air feeling colder on her lips all of a sudden.

"Wait, I...what are you doing?" She said as she tried to breathe normally and stay calm. She needed answers. This was too sudden.

"I have no idea." He said in a low voice. "But don't tell me you don't like it, because I won't believe you."

Verica gasped as she blushed furiously and looked away. "T-that's not..."

"You want this as much as I-"

"Sensei..." The title tasted bitter in her mouth. "Even if you...even if I want it, it's not so simple. It's not right to-"

His lips crushed on hers again, more forcefully. He moved forward, forcing her to back off until her back hit the tree behind her. She felt his tongue brush against her lips. It was so warm and the way it danced lightly on her lips tickled her. She didn't bother to try and keep her mouth shut. She felt so dizzy it seemed the world was spinning around her. She had no idea what to do but her body reacted on its own when his tongue touched hers.

It was intoxicating. The sound their mouths made sounded so dirty to her ear it made her blush. His tongue played with her inexperienced one languorously, rolling in her mouth and coaxing her to respond. Her hands fisted in his coat as she moaned softly under him. She tried to move with him, keep up with him, but he pulled away before she could get used to it. His thumb brushed slowly against her cheek as he pressed his forehead against hers, his breathing shallow and his gaze hooded.

"I really don't care about what is right at this point." he said, his breath tickling her lips. "I don't care if it's wrong. I've never wanted something so much in my life. I think I'm going to go crazy if I don't do something now. I'm already going crazy..."

His right hand left her head and grabbed her thigh, quickly followed by his other hand. He lifted her off the ground effortlessly and pressed her firmly against the tree. His breath tickled her neck as he moved up to her ear and licked her earlobe. He rolled his hips slowly between her legs, forcing a whimper out of her lips and a shaky sigh out of his own.

She didn't know what to do. She'd never felt things like this and didn't know how to react. Things were going too fast. For a moment, the pressure between her legs scared her more than his tongue aroused her. Fear clouded all her other emotions and she gripped his shoulders, pushing him away feebly as she squeezed her eyes shut and moved her head away. Kenneth stopped immediately and withdrew his head to look at her. His hands squeezed her thighs gently as he whispered to her in a low, smooth tone.

"It's alright Verica. You know you can trust me."

Verica's hands shook on his shoulders as she looked up at him. Of course she trusted him...

He smiled warmly before laying butterfly kisses on her face. She closed her eyes as she breathed heavily, feeling his hands massaging her thighs and his warm lips on her skin. The heat in her stomach grew deeper the more he kissed her as her mind went numb. She gazed up at his face when he pulled away and stared at his lips, getting accustomed to the pressure between her legs. The sensation was so overwhelming.

She grabbed the collar of his coat hesitantly and brought his face to her. She pressed her mouth to his lips tentatively. Immediately he took charge, pleading for her to open her mouth with his tongue. She could feel groans of excitement vibrating in her mouth, making her melt under him. He rolled his hips against her again as he slipped his left hand under her to help keep her in place. His other hand tugged at the big rope serving as her belt, untying it quickly and easily. She didn't care about anything anymore. No matter how strange this was. No matter how, deep inside, she feared it; she couldn't make it stop. She didn't want it to end. It felt so good. It felt good everywhere in her body.

"Don't leave." He whispered against her lips between kisses, opening her coat with haste and tearing away the brooch holding it in place at her neck. "Not now. Not when I finally realized how much I care for you. Not when I need you so much."

His mouth left hers and brushed across her cheek to reach the soft skin under her ear, sucking gently down to the base of her neck. Her body tensed from the sensation and she arched under him. She felt his gloved hand sneak under her strapless tank top to squeeze her waist. He kept moving up until he touched the piece of bandage covering her breast. He moved over it and a finger brushed against an erected nipple through the bindings. She gasped and gripped the tree trunk behind her, throwing her head back as she opened her eyes. She closed them again quickly when another finger grazed her more firmly, rolling on the small bud through the thick layer of fabric. Every stroke made her shiver and move her hips forward to press herself even more against him, desperately. He captured her lips again as he started to struggle with her bindings, trying to remove them clumsily. She ground against him, trying to get rid of this maddening pressure building up between her legs, by any means possible. She could feel him everywhere around her; moaning on her lips and driving her crazy...

And then everything stopped.

His mouth disappeared from hers along with his hands and the pressure between her legs. She felt disoriented all of a sudden as she made a small sound of protest. She opened her eyes slowly, feeling as if the world was spinning around her.

She saw her legs crossed under her.

She blinked a few times and raised her head to look around her. She was still sitting under the tree, her back leaned against its trunk. The sun had moved in the sky.

A dream...

Verica took her head between her hands as she yelled in exasperation. This was a fucking joke. Stupid brain. Why was he doing this to her. God, she was so angry at herself right now!

She sighed and hit her head on the tree behind her. This was crazy, he was hunting her sleep now. How ridiculous. And not only that! She had seen this before. Or rather she had read it. What just happened in her dream was a scene from 'The bed of roses'...

She really had to stop reading that book...

She rubbed her forehead in annoyance and frowned. She was so ashamed of herself. She should have realized something was off. Kenneth was so "by the book". He would never do something like this. Even with Julian, he married her before bringing her to his bed. For him to... And with her... That was impossible.

But as she layed there under the tree, she felt a surge of panic and doubts rise inside her. "Don't leave. Not now" Kenneth had said in her dream. She really wondered if this was some kind of message. Maybe she shouldn't have left. Maybe it was a sign that she should go back.

She looked in the abbey's direction with a frown.

Was this really what she wanted anyway? Was she even able to do it?

* * *

><p>Kenneth took a deep breath as he opened his eyes slowly. He saw the sun going down in front of him, disappearing behind the ocean at the southern cliff. He looked down at his joined hands as he uncrossed his legs and sighed.<p>

He had meditated all day, thinking about Verica, again and again. The more he thought, the more he felt confused. The only thing he was sure of was his worries. He had honestly no idea if letting her leave was a good idea. It all happened so quickly.

He almost got up and left earlier. He almost got up and left the abbey to go see her. But he didn't. Because then what? She wanted to leave so badly. How would she have reacted if he had just ran to her like that and tell her he missed her? She already knew that. And she probably missed him too...

Somehow he hoped she missed him as much as he missed her.

He was so fucking selfish...

He shook his head and let himself fall on his back. He was probably thinking too much into this. He was being too emotional. He just needed to let her go. Let her fly on her own. His own feelings would fall into place eventually. He sure hoped so. His worries were not only caused by Verica's absence, but also by his own feelings. It worried him because he didn't understand them. Didn't know why she plagued his mind like this. It wasn't normal was it? No teacher should feel like this toward their student, no matter how close they were and no matter how...wonderful that student was. The more he thought about it...the more it felt wrong...

"Sensei..."

Kenneth turned his head quickly to his right. His body tensed and his eyes widened as he quickly raised himself up on his elbow. He frowned and narrowed his eyes in disbelief at the young woman before him.

"Verica?" He whispered, almost scared to say her name. "W...how...th-" He tried to speak but his brain refused to cooperate.

The young woman remained silent where she stood. She looked at her feet, her hands joined on her chest as she shifted nervously from one foot to the other.

"W-what are you doing here?" He stuttered as he quickly got to his feet.

"I'm so sorry sensei..." She whispered as she removed her bag from her back and let it fall on the ground. "I couldn't do it."

Kenneth stared at her with a puzzled gaze. How could she be here? Did she turn back halfway? She looked so nervous, almost scared. Had something happened?

"What do you mean 'you couldn't do it'?" He said in a smooth tone as he walked toward her. "What's going on?"

"I was not ready to leave..." She replied as she closed her eyes. She was shaking slightly. It looked like she was about to cry. "I was not ready to leave you. This is not what I wanted. I don't know why I did it."

Kenneth came to a stop in front of her with a worried expression on his features. He took her chin between his fingers to make her look at him. The moment their gaze met, she blushed furiously and turned her head to get out of his loose grip.

"I'm so sorry..." She whispered. "I don't want to leave anymore..."

Kenneth's head moved back a little in surprise. No way...did she really come back? He silently thanked God as he smiled sadly at the girl before him, his heart suddenly feeling lighter. Bless this girl. She couldn't imagine how happy he was to hear that. All those hours of doubts and worries left his memories, as if it had never happened. It didn't matter now. She was back. She wouldn't leave. He was so happy that he didn't take the time to consider just how strange and odd the situation was.

"It's alright." He said with a warm smile as he put his hand on her shoulder. "Only fools don't change their minds you know. I'm glad you came back if you weren't comfortable. There is no rush for you to leave you kn-"

He was interrupted by her arms wrapping around his neck. She threw herself at him, pressing her body against his as she muffled apologies on his shoulder. Kenneth's eyes widen for a second before he smiled and rested his hands on her back with a small chuckle.

"It's ok girl. Don't worry about it. You'll leave when you're ready." His hands rubbed her back gently as he tried to ignore how warm her body felt. But it was getting hard as she pressed herself more and more on him. "You don't have to feel bad or anything about it. Anyway it happened so f-"

Suddenly he felt something hot in the crook of his neck. Like a breath. His hands stopped moving as a shiver ran up his spine, making his body freeze in place. The hot breath blew on his neck again, followed by wet and warm lips closing slowly on his skin. His hands twitched as he stared right in front of him, his breathing shallow all of a sudden and his pulse getting faster.

"V-Verica?" He breathed out shakily as another kiss burned his skin, closer to his ear.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you while I was away." Verica whispered, her breath tickling him once again. Her hands slowly moved up in his hair, rubbing her fingers on his scalp. "I tried to stop. I tried to get away. But I can't." Her voice was shaking, with desires or nervousness he couldn't really tell. He didn't really try to know either. His hands hovered over her hips, not knowing what to do with them.

He tried to speak, to ask her what she was doing, but the hot stroke of her tongue behind his ear made him suck in a breath and forget what he was trying to say. His hands clasped down on her hips and he closed his eyes, bowing his head slightly at the same time. He tried to control his erratic breathing as he tightened his grip on her, his body threatening to go completely numb if he didn't hold on to something.

What the hell was going on? Something was odd. He didn't know what exactly, but the big red light at the back of his head was flashing all over the place to warn him something was off. That, or to warn him he was presently being kissed by his student and that he should really do something to stop her. Whatever the red light was trying to tell him. He wasn't listening anyway.

"I don't want to be away from you." She whispered in his ear. "I can't imagine my life without you. I care too much about you. I want to make you happy. I want to make you feel good. Show me how, please..." She withdrew her mouth from his ear and pulled away slightly to look at him. One of her hand in his hair slided down his face to cup his cheek. The bright blush on her cheeks grew redder as she looked at him in the eyes. "Please, sensei. Teach me how to love."

Kenneth froze. Completely. His brain raised a big white withdrawal flag in his head and left him completely stunned and flustered. Did she really just say what he heard her say? Was she really looking at him with the sexiest stare he had ever seen in his life right now? Had she really called him sensei with that stare? Had he really...oh God...

She smiled as she pressed herself more firmly against him, her breast rubbing on his chest in the process. She closed her eyes and leaned forward with the evident intention to kiss him, a whimper that looked a lot like "sensei" leaving her lips at the same time. That was too much. That was too strange. Too impossible. He might not be the smartest of men, but he was not stupid either.

He needed to think. He needed to get blood back into his brain. He needed...to get away from her.

He moved his head back as his hands left her hips in panic. He took a step away from her, feeling his heart beating frantically in his ear. He stared at her with wide eyes as his chest moved up and down like he had been running for days. She returned his gaze with a blush and a wounded expression.

"Sensei..." Her voice was so low and honeyed, it was doing strange things inside him.

But as he took a better look at her, he noticed something odd. He narrowed his eyes at her body a moment and frowned before looking at her face again.

"I-is this a dream?" He asked between pants.

"What?" It was Verica's turn to widen her eyes in surprise. "I don't understand."

"Your breast." He said with a deep frown. "It's...bigger. Much bigger than I remember it to be..." He stated very seriously.

Verica stared at her teacher for a long moment before she started giggling, her blush disappearing from her cheek slowly. Kenneth watched her in confusion as his heart slowly took a more reasonable pace. She took a step toward him to close the distance between them again. She looked down at her breast with a smile and brought her hands up, cupping each one in her palms. "Maybe." She said slowly.

Kenneth looked away from her with a slight blush as his body tensed again. "Ok, it is a dream."

"Of course it's a dream sensei." She said as she gazed up at him with a seductive smile. The moment he looked back at her, she started massaging her breast slowly, her eyes not leaving his.

"Oh God..." He closed his eyes and brought his hand up to his face, removing the sudden sweat on his forehead. "Why am I dreaming of this?"

"Because this is what you want." She said as she removed her hands from her breast and put them on his chest gently. "This is what the perverted part of your mind wants. The part you managed to repressed so well all your life; the bad example of your teacher serving as a motivation to always be righteous. But you're just a man, sensei." She said before placing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. He kept his eyes close and tried to ignore her. A small voice at the back of his mind kept repeating that this was just a dream. It wasn't real. He could do whatever he wanted...

"There is a limit to self-restrain. And the more something is repressed, the more violently it explodes when the leashes are removed." She continued as her hands caressed his skin, following the patterns of the numerous scars on his chest with her fingers. She kissed his jaw slowly before bringing her mouth lower to reach his neck. "You've got yourself into something stronger than you this time. Something you're not going to be able to resist with sheer will alone." Her lips brushed against his collarbone as her hands ran over his abdomen.

"It's just a dream." He breathed out, trying to open his eyes and move his hands to push her away, without success. "It doesn't mean anything. It's just my mind..." He whimpered and paused as he shivered under her lips, his breathing and heartbeat out of control. "I-it's just my mind fooling around, because of my lack of sleep and the recent events. It doesn't mean anything..."

"You can deny it as much as you want sensei." She said as her mouth reached his sternum, burning his skin as she went lower and lower. Her hands passed over his big metal belt and rested on the front of his thighs. He opened his eyes slowly and looked down at her. He saw her place one wet kiss on his stomach before gazing up at him, her tongue slipping out to lick her lips provocatively. Then she whispered in a low tone. "But you can't control your mind. You can't keep it from going where it wants to be."

Kenneth's heart was racing and pumping too much blood in the wrong areas and not enough where he needed. He tried to think, he tried to move, but his body was completely paralyzed. He tried to convince himself it was because this was a dream and he simply didn't have control over the situation.

Truth was that he simply loved what she was doing too much to make it stop...

'It's just a dream' He thought.

He saw her drop down to her knees in front of him...

'There's nothing wrong in enjoying it...'

...and felt her hot breath through his pants...

'Just for a little while...'

...her dark eyes not leaving his all along as she...

'...Oh God...'

"Kenneth? Kenneth?"

The man in question opened his eyes slowly, feeling disoriented and slightly nauseous. He raised his head slowly as he woke up. He saw the sun almost completely down behind the ocean in front of him. He sighed in exasperation as he felt his body ache from the strange sitting position he had slept in. He groaned in frustration as he rubbed his head lazily.

Then he realized exactly what he had just dreamt about...

'Good God have mercy. Did I really just...oh God no. What is wrong with me?' He thought to himself as he shook his head.

"Are you ok Kenneth?" A feminine voice asked beside him. He knew that voice...

He looked to his left and his throat tightened when he saw Carly, looking at him with her deep brown eyes. He hadn't seen her since...the incident. Somehow it made him very nervous to look at her now.

"Y-yes..." He replied as he looked away and quickly got up, trying to regain his composure.

"Bashu said you were looking for me." She said with a smile.

"Hm, yeah..." He replied as he sighed. He took deep breaths to try to calm himself and bring the blood back into his brain. This was not really a good timing, after such a dream...

'...Wait'

A dream. He just dreamt? A dream that was not his usual dream? He didn't dream about his death in the desert with Verica eating his heart, like he did everyday for the past 8 years.

But why? Everyday he had this dream. Why didn't he have this dream just now?

"I heard Verica left for Juno." Carly said when she saw Kenneth wasn't speaking. "I'm glad for her. You must be proud."

Right. Carly. His thoughts about his dream would have to wait. He had other things to take care of right now. He had waited 2 days for that. Now Carly was right here in front of him and he needed to clear things out; between them and in his head at the same time. He wouldn't be able to withstand another dream like that...

He turned toward her and stared at her smiling face with a frown. Somehow he didn't feel all those unwanted desires like last time, when he was barely able to look at her without feeling his self control slip like soap. Well, he wasn't going to complain. It was as if her innocent smile was mocking him. He felt the anger rise in his chest slowly. If she had told Verica they were together, who knows to whom else she had told that? He sighed to try and calm his growing annoyance as he took a more aggressive tone than he intended.

"Speaking of Verica, why did you tell her we were together?"

Carly's face changed completely and her smile faded. She stared at him in the eyes for a second before smiling again, awkwardly. "Well, because we are-"

"No Carly." He interrupted her with a grave voice, his expression very serious. "There is nothing between us. You're my friend, you've always been. I don't want to be mad at you, so don't upset me more by lying like that."

Carly stared at him and remained silent; her eyes full of surprise from his overbearing tone.

"What you did the other day was wrong." Kenneth continued, getting more upset the more he talked about it. "It was wrong and you shouldn't have done it. You shouldn't have lied either. Why did you do that? Why did you do all that? What's wrong with you?"

"I just...I love you Kenneth..."

"There's a difference between love and what you did here the other day." He quickly replied as he took a step toward her. "Really it's not like you. What happened to you during your travel?" He asked, his voice pleading for answers. "I'm worried about you. You're not the same Carly I cared so much about. It's as if you're possessed by someone else's soul. You're not yourse-"

Kenneth paused as he realized what he just said. He stared at her eyes for a moment and frowned. He saw her eyes narrowed at him and her jaw clench a fraction of a second.

No...could she be...

He didn't have time to ponder on his thoughts before her face torn and she started crying.

"I-I'm so sorry Kenneth..." She whispered as she closed her eyes and bowed her head. She brought one of her hand up to her face to wipe the tears rolling on her cheeks, her other hand fisted at her side.

"Carly..." Well, that wasn't the reaction he expected.

"I don't k-know why I did t-this..." She said between sobs. She closed the distance between them and rested her forehead on his shoulder as she kept crying. Kenneth instinctively brought his hands up to rest on her back.

"Calm down Carly." He said awkwardly. God he hated when girls cried. He wasn't sure what to do now. "I just don't understand you. Why did you do...what you did? I...I'm just worried about you, tell me what's wrong..."

She kept crying on his coat as she remained silent, except for her loud sobs. Kenneth realized she wasn't going to answer him anyway so he just sighed and rested his head on hers, rubbing her back to comfort her. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This really wasn't going how he wanted...

"You're so kind...and so easily won over..." She whispered.

Kenneth frowned as he tried to reply, but instead he gasped and sucked in a breath. A sharp pain spreaded quickly in his abdomen. His vision blurred for a second as his hands fisted in Carly's coat and he leaned on her, unable to keep his balance on his own. He tasted iron in his mouth and he coughed, trying to get rid of it. He looked between them and saw her hand holding a knife, stuck deep under the front of his rib cage. She twisted the weapon inside him sharply, cutting through his flesh aggressively as blood spreaded on his clothes. His body spasmed as he groaned and squeezed his eyes shut in pain, his knees threatening to buckle under him any second. Breathing was incredibly painful all of a sudden.

"C-Carly?" He rasped through the blood in his mouth, the pain and confusion evident in his voice.

"I'm sorry pretty-face." Carly whispered in his ear before kissing it gently. "I'm afraid Carly's not available right now."

* * *

><p>I was dying to write about the erotic dream since forever lol XD. I'm trying to hone my smut writing skills. Slowly. I'm trying to go a little further every time. I'm still learning. Be indulgent :P<p>

Also, yay! confrontation Carly-Kenny! Finally :P

Next updates will take more times. School is starting again.


	27. 5:Confrontation

I've never been stabbed by a knife, therefore I've no idea how it's supposed to feel lol. I did some research about what happens and how your body reacts but I have no idea if it's accurate. Let's just pretend it is XD

And thank you to Scarlette for your kind words :) I'm glad you like it ^^

Also, worst title since chapter 12...urg...sorry, I was out of inspiration. If you got any idea I'll gladly change it XD

Didn't edit this chapter as thoroughly as the previous ones. I was too eager to post it. Sorry.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 27 Confrontation<strong>

Kenneth coughed blood on Carly's shoulder as he fought to breathe properly, the cold metal under his rib cage feeling as if it was burning him. He felt dizzy and it made it hard for him to fully understand what just happened. Where had this knife come from?

"What a waste..." Carly said as she leaned away from him to look at his face. "Such a handsome man you are really. It almost makes me sad..."

Kenneth looked into her eyes and immediately he saw it. Immediately it confirmed his fear. He saw the same inhuman hatred he had seen many years ago into Moohae's eyes. An animosity so strong and so deep, it couldn't be mistaken for anything else than the tortured mind of a demon...

His brain shifted to hostility mode instantly. He glared at the woman before him as he threw his fist at her stomach, ignoring the sharp pain in his abdomen and the burning sensation in his lungs every time he breathed. Carly let go of the knife and dodged the blow by moving away from him. A devilish smile danced on her lips as she looked at him with predator's eyes.

Kenneth tried to stay on his feet, but his head spun too much and he fell to one knee. He grabbed the blade's handle before looking up at the blond with a glare. He tried to take a deep breath to stay calm, but his lung felt like it was collapsing in his chest. If the blade had touched his lung, then he wouldn't be able to breathe once he removed it. From all the blood in his mouth and the horrible throb behind his rib cage every time he tried to breathe, it was most likely the case. He had to heal himself quickly as he removed the knife. But he suspected she wasn't going to let him heal himself just like that...

"I'm sorry it has to end like this" She said as she looked down at him. "I was not supposed to kill you, you know. The prophecy says you're impossible to defeat; not a wise idea to try and defy such things. Didn't work last time afterall. But those questions earlier didn't give me any choice. You were about to discover me anyway. I guess the prophecy was wrong. I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed." She said with a pout as she took a step toward him.

"I'm not dead yet." He spat as he forced himself to his feet again with a grimace of pain.

"Yes, you are. You just don't realise it yet." She giggled as she closed the distance between them in a heartbeat and grabbed his hand holding the knife with the evident intention to remove it.

Kenneth caught her wrist with his other hand and threw his head at hers. Their forehead collapsed and she let go of the knife as she whined and stumbled away. He tried to punch her in the stomach but she deflected his blow with her arm as she aimed for his nose with the palm of her other hand. He moved his head back just enough to avoid her and threw his fist at her face, his other hand still holding the handle of the knife. She bent down to avoid the punch and crouched as she swept the ground under him, making him fall on his back.

His wound hurt and the pain vibrated in his chest when his back hit the ground. He closed his eyes and gasped, turning his head to the side to spit the blood accumulating in his mouth. Every gulp of air made his head spin and his chest burn.

Carly moved on top of him and grabbed his throat with a smile. He tried to punch her face, but she caught his fist in her hand and squeezed it with inhuman force, which caused him to wince. She lowered her head toward his as she laughed.

"Careful pretty-face. You don't want to hurt her now do you?" She said.

Kenneth froze a moment at her words before frowning. She had a point. No matter if she was a demon, she was still in Carly's body. If he hit her, he hit Carly...

Her hand grabbed the collar of his coat and lifted him slightly to throw her fist at his face, hitting him straight in the jaw. Blood spreaded on the ground beside him as she grabbed the knife in his abdomen. Despite the dizziness, Kenneth still had the presence of mind to clasp his hand around her wrist to stop her from removing the blade.

He didn't want to hurt Carly, but of course he didn't want to die either. He did the first thing that came to his mind: distract her with words and gain time. Hopefully someone would feel the disturbance in his spiritual energy and come to see what's going on.

"W-what the h-hell...did you want?" He managed to ask despite his throat slowly being crushed.

"To kill you, obviously." She replied as she pulled on the blade to remove it, but Kenneth's grip was strong enough to keep it in place. His other hand held her wrist at his neck

"You said you didn't." He said between coughs. "You said you didn't mean to...to kill me. W-why were you here t-then?"

"Well, let's just say that fate needed to be influenced a bit."

"Influenced?" He repeated with a frown. "How?"

"I just needed to make sure you walked along the wrong path." She said with a smile.

"T-the wrong path...You're talking about the prophecy..." Kenneth rasped as his vision started to get blurry. He hit her arm and forced her to lose her grip on his throat before grabbing her wrist, struggling to keep her fingers away from his neck under her amused gaze.

"You're catching up quickly." She replied. "'The chosen one will be impossible to defeat, but will be easily influenced to take the wrong path, because the good one will seem like the wrong'. Already one of your choice is in our favor. We'll make sure you don't get a second chance."

"Who's 'we'?" Kenneth asked, still trying to keep her from taking the knife with one hand and choking him with the other. "What was the choice?"

"So full of question you are." She laughed.

Suddenly she stopped pulling on the knife and instead pushed the blade further into him, helped by his own strength trying to counter hers. His body spasmed and tensed under her as he stopped breathing for a second. He closed his eyes and groaned, trying to breath again. His lungs felt like they were filled with ashes and he was starting to feel lightheaded from the blood loss.

She laughed quietly as she twisted the blade inside him, rolling it around under his rib cage and ripping the skin around the wound. Kenneth cried out again as his expression torn; he wasn't going to make it at this rate. He had waited as much as he could.

"You're so sexy little monk. All bloody and worn out. Screaming and squirming. Oh how I wish you hadn't stopped me the other day. You would have loved it. It's not too late you kn-"

She stopped and looked down at Kenneth with a frown. He had stopped moving under her all of a sudden, his eyes closed and holding his breath.

'I'm sorry Carly...'

His eyes snapped open and he glared at the woman above him as he spitted blood in her face. She closed her eyes and groaned in frustration as she tried to wipe the blood with her hand. Kenneth closed his eyes again and used her moment of inattention to summon spirit spheres. He managed to take a shaky but deep breath despite the burning sensation in his lungs and released the spiritual energy of his spheres to enter fury state, making the ground shake under him as electricity poured out of his body. He pressed his hand on her stomach and used palm push strike to knock her away. She landed on her back a few feet away from him as he quickly grabbed the knife in his abdomen. He casted heal on himself and started removing it slowly. He squeezed his eyes shut and groaned, his healing spell not powerful enough to subdue the pain. Oh how he wished he had paid more attention during healing classes at the church. Verica could take care of such a wound in 10 seconds. It would take him an eternity to repair his lungs enough just to breathe properly...

But he didn't have an eternity. Carly got up from the ground quickly and stared down at him with an expression that was clearly not human.

Kenneth tried to sit up but she was before him in a split second and kicked him in the chest, forcing him back to the ground. She kicked his hands away from his wound before putting her foot on his neck. Kenneth gasped and raised his hands up to push it away, but she raised her leg and kicked his face violently. The blow made him deaf for a few seconds and he felt disoriented. He didn't even realize until it was too late when she crouched above him and grabbed the knife's handle. She removed it quickly in one swift movement, causing the champion under her to cry out in agony. His scream died out quickly as he found himself desperately fighting for air. His chest felt hollow as if his lungs had been vacuum-sealed. He tried to take deep breaths, but no matter how big his inhalation were it seemed to give him only half of the air he needed.

"Seems like we won't need to worry about the prophecy anymore." Carly said as she raised the blade in the air.

Then something hit her behind her head and she gasped as she let go of the knife in surprise, letting it fall beside her. Kenneth saw 5 spirit spheres fly her way and hit her again as she turned around. He didn't even need to look to know who had thrown them. This feeling of warm giddiness spreading in his head and shivering down to his stomach, numbing his worries and making him want to smile for no apparent reason, was all too familiar to him. But right now his mind was too concentrated on trying to breath to really care about smiling or anything else. He quickly brought his hands to his wound and tried to heal himself, despite this overwhelming numbness washing over his body and making him feel like the ground was tilting under him.

Two strong hands pulled on his coat to gain access to his wound and he felt the familiar energy run through his abdomen, healing his lung more quickly than he was able to do alone. He opened his eyes and locked his blurry gaze on his old sensei above him, looking at him with a worried expression.

"Sh-" He tried to speak but his attempt only resulted in a rough cough as he choked on the blood in his mouth.

"It's ok boy. Don't try to speak." Mathias said in a low tone, but his voice shook slightly in panic. The pale greenish light glowed around Kenneth for a long moment before he started to come to his senses. Sounds of battle reached his ear and he lifted his head slightly to see Tomoon a few meters away, fighting with Carly with no apparent worries about hurting her...

"She's not herself." Kenneth rasped. "It's a demon. Don't hurt her..."

Mathias stopped his healing spell and frowned at Kenneth's words. "What?"

"Carly's not in control of her body anymore." Kenneth said as he slowly sat up and wince from the sharp pain still present in his lungs. "She's possessed. You have to help her..." he pleaded as he looked at his sensei in panic.

Mathias' worried frown vanished, replaced by a serious businesslike expression as he nodded. "Got it."

He got up and ran to the battle behind him. "Tomoon! Immobilize her!"

The broad older man nodded as he dodged her fist coming for his face. He hit her three times in her stomach and used raging quadruple blow quickly after, making her lose her breath for a moment. He took advantage of it to catch her arm, spinning her around to make her face Mathias. He slipped his arms under hers to trap her against his chest as he kicked the back of her knees to make her kneel. She trashed in his arm and screamed as her face torn into a very uncharismatic display of hate and anger.

Mathias quickly crouched in front of her and looked into her eyes. He scowled at what he saw before taking a deep breath. He pressed his hand on Carly's forehead as he closed his eyes. He concentrated as he ran his spiritual energy through her head, ignoring her vulgar screams and insults.

Her eyes became black as she screamed louder and louder, dark smoke coming out of her head like she was burning. Her breathing was shallow and her face frowned in pain, her hips bucking up and her back arching as she desperately tried to move her head away from Mathias' grip. He snapped his eyes open and got up, removing his hand from her forehead roughy. A black shape surrounded by smoke followed his hand as Carly stopped moving in Tomoon's arm and collapsed on him. He delicately set her down on the ground as he looked up at Mathias.

Kenneth got up quickly and walked toward the two champions, trying to see if Carly was alright. But before he could reach her, he noticed Mathias was struggling against the black immaterial form in his hand.

"Sensei?!"

Mathias groaned as he lost control of his arm, the black form escaping his hand to land a few feet away as if it had a mind of its own. The three men quickly turned toward it with wary eyes. The smoke spreaded on the ground and the black shape grew, taking the form of a strange crouched humanoid. Colors slowly appeared on the demon as the smoke dissipated. Kenneth scowled at what he saw.

"I should have known..."

The demon stood up gracefully from its crouched position, long blond hair cascading on her back between two red bat wings and her feminine hips swaying as she stretched her arms in the air above her horns. Leather high heel boots dug in the ground as she turned to face the three champions, letting her hands drop down and run over her red satin covered breast slowly as she smiled at them. A small sigh of contentment left her fleshy lips before she licked them slowly, her hands caressing her thigh as she laughed quietly.

"Hmmm oh you naughty boy." She purred with a deep, honeyed voice as she looked at Mathias. "You like it rough, don't you? That was incredibly invigorating. Want to touch more than my forehead?"

Kenneth frowned but quickly rolled his eyes when he saw the pervy smile on his sensei's face. Leave it to the old man to ogle women, no matter if they were not human...

"Spare us your bullshit!" Kenneth spat as he summoned a sphere and immediately snapped behind the succubus. He tried to catch her but she jumped out of his grip with a giggle. She sent a flying kiss toward the young champion before turning on her heels and trying to run away.

Tomoon followed her after punching Mathias on his arm. "Get your brain out of your dick!"

Mathias blinked and coughed awkwardly. "S-sorry..."

He took a quick look at Carly on the ground. She was still alive and apparently not seriously wounded. Taking care of her would have to wait for the moment.

Tomoon used snap to appear in front of the succubus, blocking her way. Kenneth arrived behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, just before Tomoon threw his fist at her face. She gasped as her head turned violently, blood spilling on the ground from her mouth. She went numb into Kenneth's arm a moment. He let her fall down on her back and crouched to trap her arms with his while Tomoon caught her legs. Her dizziness faded and she thrashed around against her two attackers, not laughing anymore.

Mathias arrived beside them and kneeled by the woman-shaped demon, trying to keep his eyes from lingering on her for too long. He summoned spheres to enter fury state before summoning them again. He was about to use asura strike to get rid of her but Kenneth stopped him.

"Wait!"

"What is it?" Tomoon asked.

"She knows about the prophecy. She told me she wasn't here to kill me."

"From my point of view it seemed like she was killing you." Mathias replied with a frown.

"She said she was here to force fate. Influence me into making the wrong choice."

"The choices from the prophecy?" Mathias asked as he looked down at the sexy demon on the ground.

"She said I had already made a wrong choice. She kept saying "we", but I don't know who she's talking about."

"Whatever she's saying." Tomoon said. "She's a demon. What she says cannot be trusted."

"It's still an incredible chance..." Mathias thought aloud again as his eyes roamed over her body. She noticed before he could stop himself.

"See something you like darling?" The demoness said as she laughed quietly. She stopped fighting against the men holding her. She started to squirm and move her hips in a curvaceous manner, rubbing her thighs together as she licked her lips. "I'm sure we can come to an arrangement. You seem to know how to please a woman, unlike this frigid boy over here."

Kenneth let the insult pass, not caring about what a demon might think of him. Demons loved to play with human's mind. He wasn't going to let her into his.

"It's true I know a few tricks." Mathias replied to the succubus with a smirk.

Tomoon frowned as he looked at his friend. "Maybe you should go find help for Carly. Me and Kenneth will take care of her." He offered.

"Please, don't insult me." Mathias replied as he looked briefly toward Tomoon and winked. The older man snorted and closed his eyes in understanding.

"Come on sweety." The succubus said with a seductive look. "I've got a feeling you and I would get along. Just let me go and I'll make you feel things you've never felt before. I'm a burning pit of senseless pleasure. No woman on earth could give you sensations like I would."

"Yeah..." Mathias said in a low tone as he brushed his fingers on her stomach. "I've no problem believing that."

Kenneth looked at his sensei with a scowl when he saw his fingers traveling down to her navel. "Mathias?!" But the old man shamelessly ignored him.

"You'll like it human." The succubus whispered as she shivered under his touch.

"You seem to be more aroused than I am really." He replied with a smile.

"I can arrange that." She breathed out in a sigh when his hand reached her pelvis.

"Yes, I'm sure you can." He said as he cupped her through her black thong.

"Aah, I knew you had experienced hands." She moaned, rubbing herself on his hand and arching her back. "Let me go sweety, and I'll let you play with me as long as you want, do whatever you want."

"Whatever I want?" He said with a raised brow, his middle finger dipping slightly into her through the fabric of her clothes.

She struggle into Kenneth's arm and the younger man looked away from the sight in embarrassment. What the hell was he doing? But Tomoon didn't seem to be worried...

The demon nodded to Mathias as she moaned and squirmed, trying to get the men around her to let her go. But then Mathias looked at her in the eyes and smiled widely.

"Even this?"

A white flash of light shaped as a cross bursted out of his hand. The succubus lost her smile and screamed, fighting against the two men holding her once again. Her expression torn in pain and anger as she tried to kick Tomoon. Kenneth was surprised and almost lost his hold on her when she suddenly started to trash around. He mentally shook his head. Stupid perverted old man, doing stuff like that...

Tomoon simply smiled at the demon's scream of agony. He loved hearing demons scream.

"What? Don't you like it rough? I guess holy light is a bit too rough for you though." Mathias said.

"I'll kill you!" She yelled as she glared at the older man.

"No you won't."

He used holy light again against her core, making her throw her head back and cry out in pain. Kenneth had to use all of his strength to keep her in place.

"Tell us what you know."

"You'll all burn and die in horrible suffering. I have nothing to say to walking corpses!" She spat.

The white light flashed against her again, making her cry out even louder. She almost looked as if she was about to cry.

"What was the choice? Why were you here? Who's 'we'?" Mathias asked again.

"How should I know..." She said between rasp gulp of air. "I was just sent here to separate the purple-haired girl from him..."

"What?" Kenneth said as his eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"I don't knoaaaAAHH!" Another holy light between her legs made her scream and shook her voice in panic. "I swear I don't know! I just did what I've been told to do! I don't know anything! I just needed to make sure she leaves!" The succubus looked up at Mathias, tears forming to the corner of her eyes. "Please, I don't know, let me go..."

The old champion scowled and used holy light once again. "Don't give me that fake helpless act!" He yelled at her. "You answer the damn question! I'll stay here all fucking night long for you if I must! So open that pretty mouth of yours and spill it!"

The demoness froze a second before she started laughing all of a sudden. She threw her head back and looked up at Kenneth behind her. "What I'm working for is more important than my life. If my death can assure your defeat and despair, kill me right now." She laughed, suddenly looking like a mad woman. "You will die, 'chosen one'" She spat the world with disgust. "And everyone you love along with you."

Kenneth stared down at the blonde in his arm, worry and unease taking over his heart. He wanted to tell her she was wrong, that she didn't know what she was talking about, but he found himself speechless.

Tomoon turned toward Mathias as he shook his head. "This is useless Mathias. We should do what we agreed on earlier. She won't tell us anything."

"You're right..."

Kenneth's head snapped back up to look at the two men. "What did you agree on?"

"That's what we were coming to tell you when we felt your energy fade."

"Whatever you're planning it's too late now." The succubus laughed.

"I've really had enough of your shit..." Mathias sighed as he held his arm with his other hand. He summoned 5 spirit spheres that disappeared almost immediately. A white light surrounded by black smoke grew in his hand as he looked down at the demon.

"Are you sure you've got nothing to tell us? I might just decide to let you go if you were more helpful." Mathias tried one last time.

"Don't insult me. I'm not that stupid." She replied in a low serious tone.

Mathias stared at her a moment before sighing. "Very well."

His fist collapsed with her stomach with a loud thud. Everything flashed white before their eyes as they heard her scream. The light faded and the smoke rose from the ground as Kenneth watched the ashes in his hands, the succubus vanished.

"That was not helpful at all." Tomoon said as he shook his head.

"At least we tried." Mathias replied as he looked behind him toward Carly. "We should get her to Touha."

"I don't think you'll need to." Kenneth said as he pointed behind Tomoon. The two other champions turned to see the woman in question running toward them.

"What is all that ruckus!" she yelled with wide eyes. "Why am I hearing woman's scream?" She looked past Mathias and saw Carly on the ground. "What have you done to her?!" She asked as she ran to the poor girl in panic.

"It's a long story Touha." Tomoon said as he got up. He walked up to her and took Carly in his arms. "Let's bring her to the sanctuary. I'll explain on the way. She needs treatment."

Touha simply nodded as she followed the old man, rubbing her hands together in nervousness.

Mathias looked back at his student with a worried frown. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. My pride is eating dust on the floor, but I'm alright. Really, I don't feel like I deserve my so-called status of genius right now. I got fucking stabbed...I could have seen it coming. I should have..." He replied as he shook his head briefly before getting up. But the moment he rested on his feet, a sharp pang of pain spreaded in his chest and he fell back to the ground.

"Calm down now. I didn't heal you completely." Mathias said as he forced Kenneth to stay still.

"Thank you for saving me." He said as he brought his hands to his abdomen to heal himself, since Mathias had no energy left.

"That's what I'm here for."

"It's the second time you save me from a possessed person." Kenneth remarked with a nervous smile.

"Well, last time I was a bit late, don't you think? And I almost was too late today too..."

"But you weren't."

"I'm still sorry-"

"Just stop thinking about it. Let's concentrate on the matter at hand." Kenneth quickly interrupted him. Mathias had a tendency to apologize for hours. That was probably an effect of the alcohol... "We should bring Verica back." he continued. "She said her mission was to separate her from me. I don't know how she did it, but she succeeded. She might be in danger now. We have to bring her back!"

"Don't be hasty boy. We don't know if what the demon said was true. For all we know, she might have lied. Think about it. Think about the way Verica left. How could have Carly influenced her?"

"I...I don't know..."

"Maybe this is what the succubus wanted. To make you go after Verica. Then, once you're out of the abbey's protection, another demon will try to kill you for good. Or worst. I don't know. I don't think Verica is in danger. If anything...she's probably safer away from you right now..." Mathias finished hesitantly.

"I suppose you're right..." Kenneth sighed as he stopped healing himself.

Mathias looked down at the ashes on the ground with a frown as he sighed deeply and shook his head. "What a waste..." Kenneth rolled his eyes at his statement. Stupid perverted old man...

"So...what was this thing you talked about with Tomoon. What you 'agreed on'?" Kenneth asked as Mathias helped him to his feet.

"You just got stabbed and suffered a collapsed lung boy. You need to rest. We'll talk about all this tomorrow."

"Yeah...ok." Kenneth replied reluctantly as he walked with his sensei. Things were starting to get very troublesome...

* * *

><p>The sun was almost completely down in the sky when Verica stopped for a few minutes and stretched. She'd covered a good distance during the day and she was proud of her first day alone in the wilderness. Well, at least she wasn't dead yet. She had fallen asleep earlier and got flustered by her own brain with an incredibly annoying erotic dream...but other than that, her day had been rather good.<p>

When she woke up earlier after that confusing dream, she really wondered about her decision. But in the end, she knew she couldn't go back. She had made it this far. She would never live through the shame if she was to turn back now. No matter how much she missed her teacher, she knew that what lay ahead of her now would be so exciting. She was going to see the world. The real world. Not see pictures in a book. Of course she missed Kenneth horribly, but her taste for adventure was slowly taking over her heart.

At least that's what she kept repeating herself...

She kept walking along the road, trying to find a nice place to set her camp for the night. She came to stop after a few minutes as she felt a peculiar presence. It was not a monster from this area. She'd never felt something like this. It was dark and it felt like she had a weight on her shoulders.

She went behind a tree and waited. The presence was getting closer and closer to her. She got her knuckle out of her pocket and put it on as she summoned five spirit spheres, preparing for battle. The more it approached her, the more she felt uneasy by the way it felt. It was scary and definitely not human.

It was now a few feet away from her, but still she couldn't see anything. Then she saw something move in the bushes on the other way of the road. She crouched and ready herself, her heart pounding in her ears. Her hand shook slightly as she tried to stay calm.

Then it got out of the bushes.

And Verica's eyes widened as she hid more carefully behind the tree.

There on the road was a baphomet jr. What was he doing here? Those were usually only found in the labyrinth dungeon of Prontera forest.

She gripped her knuckle tightly. This was a bit more challenging than what she had fought until now. But what really worried her was what he was doing here.

But no matter that. Baphomet jr. were demons. She was a monk. Killing demon was her job and her mission. She took a deep breath and jumped out of her hiding spot, fist ready to crush the small monster.

The baphomet jr saw her immediately and turned to face her. He didn't do any movement to avoid her or to attack. He simply stared at her...with a worried gaze?

Verica stopped in her track, fist in the air. She looked down at the small creature with a frown. He wasn't attacking her...why wasn't he attacking her? Baphomet jr were aggressive creatures. But he simply stayed there and looked at her, holding his small scythe with his tiny hands. Then she noticed something strange. He was wearing a skull helm on his head. Could he be...a tamed monster?

She had read about it. Some adventurer sometimes tamed monsters such as porings or lunatics and used them in battle or to carry things. They would give those monsters accessories, to show that they were tamed. She had never actually seen a tamed monster before. She could understand why someone would want to have a pet lunatic or a pet baby desert wolf...but a baphomet jr? Who in their right mind would tame a demon?

Her assumption seemed right since the monster had clearly no intention of attacking her. But if he really was a pet, where was his master?

As if he had read her mind, one of his hand left his scythe to point into the forest to her right. She looked into the direction he pointed but didn't see anything. He pointed again in that direction with insistence, his eyes tilted into a sad expression. He looked worried and panicked at the same time. Verica just stared at him in confusion, not knowing what to do.

He walked up to her and pulled lightly on the hem of her pants, like a child do to his mother, as he kept pointing toward the forest. She looked again and frowned.

"You...you want me to go there?" She asked, feeling a bit ridiculous as she talked to a monster like that.

The baphomet jr. nodded as he started running in the direction he pointed. Verica watched him, unsure if this was a good idea. It could be some kind of trap. Although the baphomet did have a skull helm, which meant he obviously belonged to someone. Maybe his master needed help.

But she wasn't sure she wanted to meet someone who enjoyed the company of a demon.

The baphomet jr stopped on the side of the road and turned again toward the young woman, urging her to come along. Verica sighed as she took a step to follow him, mentally wondering if she was crazy. But in the end, her curiosity was just too strong.

She followed the small demon a long moment in the dark forest. He turned around a few time to make sure she was really following him. After awhile she started to feel a presence. She wasn't sure at first, because it was so faint. It was barely perceivable. As they kept running in the forest, she realized he was bringing her toward this presence. She started to distinguish it more clearly the closer they got. It was a warm and reassuring feeling. It felt like heat, but not just any heat. It was as if she was wrapped in a thick wool blanket in front of a fireplace...

It was a very comforting feeling. The feeling of a warm and inviting family home.

But it was so faint. Either the person to whom it belonged was too far away or...

The answer came to her when she saw what the baphomet jr. wanted her to see. The small demon ran to a man, sitting under a tree with his leg spreaded in front of him and his head bowed. His clothes were dark and she couldn't quite distinguish them, but she could see he wore a sakkat on his head. Then, as she approached the man, she smelled the foul scent of blood...

The baphomet pointed toward the man in panic. Verica crouched beside him carefully, but as she looked under him, she realized she had to hurry and do something. He was sitting in a puddle of blood and his clothes were covered in it. She removed his sakkat as she looked around to see if someone was there, but she felt no other presence.

She put his hat on the ground beside her. His chest was covered in blood that seemed to come from his throat, covered by a scarf. She delicately removed it from his neck and she gasped when she saw what lay under it. A deep cut ran on the front of his throat. She let her eyes look over his body and noticed many similar wounds through the cuts of his clothes. He looked completely beaten and...dead. Although she knew he was still alive because she could still feel his presence, but she didn't know if she could do something for him.

She took him in her arm, ignoring his blood soaking her clothes, and laid him down on the ground. The small monster watched her carefully with a worried expression. She started healing him as she looked at his clothes. From the look of it, he seemed to be an assassin...no, an assassin cross. He seemed rather young. Maybe 30 years old, although his straight hair were white like the snow. He wore an eyepatch on his left eye and he had a pale skin, even if the latter was probably caused by the blood loss. He was probably a rather handsome man, when he wasn't covered in blood and on the brink of death...

A sigh of relief left her lips when she realized her healing spell was working. Good. He hadn't reach "the window" yet.

The window was this small amount of time where someone is still alive, but healing potions and spell can no longer do anything for him. When someone enter this window, he needs a priest to cast a resurrection spell. If he's not resurrected by a priest while inside this window, the person dies, no matter how much you heal him.

But the big cut in his throat was slowly closing. Probably a few more minute without care and he would have reached this window...and she wouldn't have been able to do anything for him.

This wound seemed to be the most important, and so she concentrated on it. She could barely see what she was doing, but she didn't take the time to gather wood to make a fire. This man was a few seconds away from dying. Healing him was a priority, even if she didn't know him. That was probably all her years of training as a priest talking. When someone is wounded, you heal him, no matter what else. Even if it was not generally the monk's job to do such treatment, she couldn't help but follow her old teachings on the matter. What kind of servant of god was she if she didn't care for the wounded?

The baphomet jr sat and leaned his back on the tree trunk, obviously more relaxed than earlier. He watched her healing the man carefully, probably making sure she wasn't doing anything bad to his master. Well, she assumed he was his master. Why else would he have wandered around in the forest for help?

She paused a moment to look at his neck. It seemed ok. At least it wasn't bleeding anymore. She looked down at the rest of his body. Assassin cross' suits were so eccentric. The front of his shirt was open and kept in place at his chest by big pieces of metal shaped to look like a rib cage. A big belt with a skull shaped buckled held his black pants in place. She looked at his shirt a long moment, trying to figure out how she was supposed to remove it. Finally she turned him on his stomach and unsnapped his rib cage-like chest plate. Then the shirt came off easily. She paused at his arm, again. Big pieces of metal were on each of his gloved hands. She looked at it with curiosity as she started unsnapping one from his arm. There was a small button on the side... She pressed on the switch with a frown.

A large blade sprang out of the metal piece tied on his arm and she let go of his hand with a gasp, the blade retracting the moment she let go of the switch. The baphomet jr. got up quickly and frowned at the monk, scythe ready in hands.

"I'm sorry!" She said quickly as she raised her hands in a defensive gesture. The demon glared at her before sitting back on the ground. She sighed as she mentally slapped herself.

'You're too curious...' She told herself.

She removed all of his gear to gain access to the wounds on his chest and back, leaving him in his pants and boots. She healed him just enough on his chest to keep enough energy to take care of his back. She turned him on his stomach and started her work, but then something caught her eyes through all the blood. She wiped the red fluid from his back with his shirt, it was already all bloody anyway.

Covering his entire back was a huge, black tattoo. She could recognize a snake among the various artistic designs and strange symbols surrounding it. Under the snake was an inscription that said "Obedience. Silence. Honor.". She stared at the beautiful work of art on his back way longer than she should have before snapping out of her admiration to heal him. Such a big tattoo must have hurt like hell...

She depleted most of her spiritual energy before stopping her healing spell. She sighed and wiped the sweat from her forehead when she was finished. He still needed treatment, but she wouldn't be able to give it to him right now. She laid him on his back again and took a look at her handy work with a smile. She still hadn't lost her touch.

Then the assassin coughed. She jumped in surprise before looking up at his face with a worried expression. The baphomet jr. got up immediately and ran to his master.

"Can you hear me?" She asked as she put a hand on his cheek.

The man's eyelid moved slightly as he coughed again. He opened his eye slowly, barely enough for her to see his eye. It seemed brown, but she couldn't be sure with only the dim light of the moon. His gaze was out of focus and he seemed disoriented. She tried to make him look at her as she spoke.

"Do you hear me?" She asked again, softly. The man seemed to see her for a moment before his eyes rolled upward and he closed it again, a small sigh escaping his lips as he fell back into unconsciousness.

The baphomet jr looked up at the woman beside him with a worried gaze.

"It's ok. He's out of danger. He just needs to rest." She told him, feeling really silly talking to a monster like that.

Verica looked up at the stars with a sigh. She really needed to make camp now. She might as well do it here to make sure he was alright. Then she could heal him again in the morning once her energy came back.

After bandaging him carefully, she got up and stretched as she looked around for wood. As she gathered the branches for her fire, she really wondered what happened to this assassin. This place was not dangerous, with no high level monsters. What could have possibly attacked him to cause him so much damage?

Her question remained unanswered as she started her fire. Well, she dreamt of exciting adventure didn't she? This was a pretty good start.

* * *

><p>I'm kind of proud of the whole "window" thing. In a mmorpg, you never really die. So I thought, how can I make this more realistic, while keeping the resurrection skill of the priest? And I thought about this. Let me know if you think it makes sense :P<p>

Also, yay! new character! It was important for me :) You see, when I used to play RO in high school, I would play with my best friend everyday. I would always have a monk and she had an assassin. Her assassin was physically EXACTLY like the one we are seeing in this chapter :) it's kind of a tribute to her lol. All those hours playing together, it was so much fun :P


	28. 5:Tired of waiting

I read the beginning of my fic again and GOD it's full of mistakes -_- Urg...it's depressing loll. And the whole thing with the religion that I didn't get correctly and moved my story to the future...I wish I hadn't done that. It feels like my story is not a RO story anymore...I feel like erasing everything and rewriting everything again. Of course I won't do this because I'm way too lazy and some people would get mad at me...

And another horrible title...

Alright I'll stop my rant now.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 28 Tired of waiting<strong>

"Moohae, will you stop pacing up and down like that?" Mathias said with a sigh to his friend.

"I'm sorry. I'm just nervous..." He replied as he came to a stop and rubbed his hands together.

"I know, but looking at you is making me even more nervous. Just settle down. Walking around isn't going to make time pass faster."

The two men were waiting in front of the infirmary's door, inside the Abbey, along with Tomoon and Yolene. Touha was with Carly, healing her and trying to bring her back into shape. No one asked if they could help her. When Touha was healing you, it was as if 5 people were taking care of you at the same time and anyone trying to help was simply getting in her way. Yolene never understood why she didn't become a priest with her incredible healing talents, but she never questioned her. She was too happy to have her at her side. She looked at Moohae, who was obviously trying not to walk around. She really felt like pacing up and down alongside him too, but she restrained herself, chewing the nail of her thumb instead.

"We should have inspected her when she arrived..." Yolene mumbled to herself.

"There was no way we could have known." Mathias said as he looked up at the head master.

"We let our guard down. Since Moohae, everything had been calm. 8 years, without incident. Absolutely nothing. Then...this." She threw her arm at the infirmary door. "I'm not going to make the same mistake again."

"Once we know if Carly is out of danger, we should inspect everyone again." Tomoon said.

"I already asked Vran to take care of it in the morning." Yolene replied with a sigh. "And from now on, anyone who wants to enter this abbey will have to inspected. Everyone. I'm not going to let something like this happen again."

"I agree." Tomoon said as he yawned. " Well, there's no use for all of us here. Let me know what happens with Carly."

The large man left, leaving the three old champions alone to wait. Mathias was sitting on the floor, back leaning against the wall and eyes closed. Millions of thoughts ran through his head and it hurt like hell. It was late, he wanted to sleep and he wanted his goodnight glass of rum. God he needed his goodnight drink...maybe two. He was dangerously sober and he knew he could be a real ass when he was sober. He really wouldn't mind the sweet numbness right now. The sound of Moohae's footsteps on the stone floor was like a kick on his head every time. He tried to ignore it but it seemed the more he ignored it the louder it sounded...

"Moohae...I swear if you don't stop pacing up and down I'm throwing you out the window..." He said, eyes still closed.

"Sorry if I'm anxious!" The man spat. "My student is on the verge of death!"

"Your student fucking stabbed mine!" Mathias yelled back.

"She was possessed because of him! And so was I!"

"Oh no you're not going to start that!" Yolene's overbearing voice interrupted them before it went out of control.

"Sorry, Yolene-sama..." Moohae apologized quickly with a sheepish look. Mathias simply grunted and put his hand on his head. That headache was killing him.

Yolene sighed as she watched Moohae walking to a window, leaning on the wall and looking outside. She walked beside Mathias and crossed her arms on her chest.

"I see we're in need of a drink..." She whispered.

"Is it my sudden charming personality that makes you say that?" Mathias mumbled.

"Your personality is never charming..."

"You're hurting my feelings."

Yolene fought the small smile from forming on her lips. "Look, it's going to take a while. I know you want to talk with Carly, but I doubt she'll be able to. Touha told me her body was very weak. It's as if she hadn't eaten or slept for days. It's going to take more than a few hours before she wakes up." She crouched and sat on her heels in front of Mathias. "Your student is probably not sleeping very well right now. Go take care of him. We'll talk about all this later."

Mathias sighed as he rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, you're right." He got up slowly, squeezing his eyes shut as his head spun a little. Yolene stared at him with a worried expression, getting up as well.

"When was your last drink?"

"I don't know."

"You know perfectly well." She said with narrowed eyes.

Mathias grunted and looked away. "...6 hours ago."

"Only 6 hours and you're already acting like a jerk."

"If you say so."

"It's getting worst Mathias. You should really stop drinking so much." She whispered.

He looked absently in front of him and sighed. "I know..." He glanced at Moohae by the window before taking a step to leave. "Tell Moohae I'm sorry for what I said."

"Mathias." The man in question turned around. Yolene looked at him with pity and sadness as she walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder gently. "You don't need it. You're stronger than that. You could stop whenever you wan-"

"Wait until I'm in a better mood before lecturing me." Mathias said with an annoyed stare.

"You mean until you're numbed in alcohol again." She scowled, withdrawing her hand to cross her arms. He remained silent for a moment, then his eyes softened.

"I'm too old for this Yolene." He whispered with a sad look. She rarely saw him like this, but every time it made her want to take him in her arms and whisper that everything's going to be ok in his ear. Of course she never did it. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"As you wish. But you should know there are people here who care about you. They could help. You would just need to ask."

Mathias chuckled lightly with a warm smile on his face. A smile that never changed with the years, despite the wrinkles surrounding it. It still made her melt, no matter how hard she tried to remain unmoved.

"I know. Be sure that without those people I wouldn't be down here anymore..." He replied in a soft whisper that made Yolene shiver. Her heart shrank in her chest at his honest words. She hated when he spoke like that, as if his life was worth nothing. She saw his hand reach for her, moving to touch her ponytail resting on her shoulder, but his hand stopped midway and went back to his side, his eyes closing as his smile saddened.

"You're sweet Sunshine. You've always been. I was lucky to have you with me..."

"You still have me Mathias." She said with a sad smile. "I'm right here in front of you and I'm willing to help you. If you'd just let me-"

"I know." He interrupted her again as he looked into her eyes. "I know... but maybe I don't deserve to be helped. And certainly not by you of all people."

What was she supposed to answer to that? She had no idea, and so she simply held his gaze and got lost in his eyes. Those beautiful eyes, blue yet green at the same time, that used to fascinate her so much. They still did. She simply didn't acknowledge it anymore. He looked away after a long moment, taking a step to leave. "Let me know if anything happens."

Yolene looked at him until he turned the corner. She sighed and turned around, meeting Moohae's gaze, as sad as hers was. He shook his head and closed his eyes.

"He's a lost cause." He whispered.

"Don't say that..." She said in the same low tone as she leaned on the opposite wall from Moohae.

The two champions remained silent after that, waiting for Touha to get out and tell them that Carly was ok.

* * *

><p>The walk to the sanctuary seemed longer than it really was to Mathias. The moment he stepped into the dormitory he walked to his bed and took the bottle of rum from under his nightstand along with a glass. He filled it as full as he could without spilling any and put the bottle back in place.<p>

He sighed in satisfaction, the feeling of having his glass back in his hand making him feel lighter already. He looked at the amber liquid and brought it to his lips, swallowing half of the glass in one swig. He exhaled deeply and bowed his head, enjoying the burning sensation in his throat and the psychological effect on his brain that seemed to hurt less all of a sudden. He held the glass loosely between his fingers, taking a deep breath and relaxing after everything that had happened in the last hours.

They had waited enough. For 8 years they did nothing. They were just waiting for something to happen. Now something happened and Kenneth almost died, again. Yolene could say whatever she wanted; he was not going to sit around this time.

He looked up and checked Kenneth's bed a few meters away from his on the other side of the room. He was there, but he was moving, obviously not sleeping. Mathias sighed and got up, walking to his student's bed and making sure to let him feel his presence. Immediately the younger man turned toward him.

"Not sleeping?" His teacher said as he sat on the edge of the bed, his voice barely above a whisper not to wake anyone.

"No." Kenneth replied as he sat up. "How is Carly?"

"Still with Touha."

"I see..."

Mathias looked back at his glass before taking a sip, not sure what to say now.

"How are you feeling?" He asked after a long silence.

"I'm ok. I healed myself completely."

"I didn't mean physically. How do you feel about what happened?"

Kenneth sighed, rubbing the nape of his neck lazily. "I don't know. Right now I'm just worried about Carly...and Verica."

"Don't worry about Verica. I'm sure she's ok."

"For how long? They attacked me...they could attack her too."

"What makes you say that?"

"Isn't she part of the prophecy too? That's what the cloud hermit said. And now with the succubus sent here to make her leave...it can't mean anything good."

"We should ask one of the main actor in all this to make sure..."

Kenneth narrowed his eyes at his sensei. "Main actor?"

Mathias hesitated a moment, staring at his rum. "Me and Tomoon thought about something. We were going to talk about it with you, before all this happened." He gazed up at Kenneth with a businesslike expression. "You might not like it, but at least listen to it."

"What are you plotting?" Kenneth whispered, eyeing the old man suspiciously.

"We know the prophecy tells of one of the three great demons breaking his seal, but we don't know which one. Right?"

"...Right."

"Well, you know that we just happen to stand on one of the three great demon's prison. So..."

Kenneth's eyes widened as he gasped. "Wait. No...you can't mean-"

"I told you to listen to me until the end."

"No." Kenneth repeated as he laughed quietly. "No no no no no. You're crazy old man."

"He's sealed Kenneth. He can't get out of his prison. We just have to make our way down there and then talk to him."

"You are crazy..."

Mathias leaned toward Kenneth with a glare. "You want to keep staying here in the abbey and do nothing? You want something like this to happen again? You want people around you to get hurt? That's what we did the past 8 years: do nothing. I have enough of drowning in a sea of unknown."

Kenneth shook his head, running his fingers in his hair nervously. "You can't be serious. This is madness. The head master will never agree to this."

Mathias froze a second before taking a sip of his rum, looking away sheepishly. "Well...about that-"

"Don't tell me you intend to do it without telling her?" Kenneth said in an exasperated tone.

"Tomoon and I agreed it would be best to-"

"Mathias, are you serious? She will know if you do something like that. When you get out of there, if you get out alive, she'll be waiting for you."

"I don't care if she knows, as long as she doesn't keep us from doing it."

"This is...do you have any idea how much trouble you'll get yourself into? I know Yolene has a soft spot for you, but even you can't push her that far. There's a limit to insubordination." He said, struggling to keep his voice low.

"I'm not going to sit by and watch people get hurt and killed around you." Mathias spat, glaring into Kenneth's eyes. "I'm not going to leave your future's fate into the hands of chance. We know the prophecy. We can do something about it. We have to know more and make sure things plays in our favor."

Kenneth sighed and bowed his head, covering his face with the palm of his hand. He understood Mathias. Really he did. He wanted to do something about all this too. He was tired or sitting and waiting for fate to decide in his place. But this was madness...

"Even if you go and manage to escape Yolene's wrath, there's no way Baphomet is going to tell you anything."

"Don't you think it's worth a try?" Mathias continued, his eyes sparkling with hope and thrill. "He's sealed. He can't do anything from where he is. We fight our way to his prison and we talk to him through the bars of his cage. Even if he doesn't tell us anything, at least we will have tried."

"We?"

"Yes, we. You're coming with us. Tomoon's student is coming too."

Kenneth stared at his teacher in disbelief before he started laughing. "There's no way I'm going into the sealed shrine without Yolene's consent to talk to a great demon."

"What? You're scared?" Mathias said with a smirk, bringing his glass to his lips and waiting for Kenneth to take the bait.

"Of course not!"

Now he just needed to reel him in.

"I understand. It's a dangerous place and it's been a long time since you've been in a real combat environment. And Baphomet is said to be very frightening. They say he exhales dark smoke, that the earth shakes under his footsteps and that his voice can make your heart explode in your chest. They say he can kill you by tainting your soul in such darkness that no holy magic can bring you back from this hellish-"

"I've never been scared of anything in my fucking life!" Kenneth interrupted him, louder than he intended. He bit his lips and looked around, making sure he hadn't woken anyone up. Mathias simply smiled inside his glass.

"That's not the impression you're giving me right now. It's ok you know. Tomoon and I will go with his student. Joey is eager to go. He'll be disappointed to know you're not coming."

Kenneth crossed his arms and closed his eyes, his jaw clenched and his brow furrowed. He was being reeled in, he knew it... he wasn't going to let himself get-

"I'll let you sleep now. We'll let you know what happened."

"Urg!" Kenneth groaned loudly, pulling on his hair in exasperation. "Fine! I'll go!"

Mathias tried very hard not to smirk, but he failed pathetically. "I knew I could count on you boy."

"I hate you..."

"That's sad, because I like you very much." Mathias said as he finished his liquor. "We'll talk about it more tomorrow. Now you should try to sleep."

Kenneth glared at his teacher and sighed. "I hope I'm not doing anything stupid."

"Since when do I drag you into stupid things?"

"All the time..."

"Hm...maybe." Mathias said as his expression became more serious. "But this time it's important. We can't let things continue like this. We have to do something. You know it as much as I do."

"Yes...I know." Kenneth whispered.

"And don't worry about Verica. I'm sure she'll be fine. She's a big girl and she can defend herself. But I doubt anything will happen to her. If they wanted to kill her, they would have tried to do it here at least once."

"I suppose you're right."

"Alright then. I'll let you sleep." Mathias finished, turning around and walking to his own bed.

Kenneth sighed and let himself fall back down on his mattress. What had he gotten himself into?

* * *

><p>Verica was laying down on her bedroll, eyes wide open and staring at the tree leaves moving in the wind above her. She could hear the steady breathing of the baphomet jr. sleeping a few feet away from her, leaned against a tree. Every now and then, she would raise her head to look at the unconscious man, making sure he was still ok. Sleep didn't seem to like her very much tonight.<p>

She sighed deeply as she sat up. There was nothing to do. She simply wouldn't sleep. Maybe it was the fact that she wasn't in the familiarity of the sanctuary. Maybe it was because she couldn't feel her sensei's presence, sleeping a few beds away from her. Or maybe it was because she was scared of the monster sleeping on the tree. No matter if he was tamed, he was still a demon. She couldn't help but feel wary of him...and his master. A man who tamed a demon must be...strange. But it was no reason to let him die.

Although now that she sat there, looking at the injured man, she remembered Kenneth's words: "Stay away from assassins." How ironic. The first person she met was an assassin. But it didn't worry her that much. Thinking that assassins were all bad persons was just a prejudice. At least she hoped so. That assassin lady 3 years ago didn't seem like the kindest of woman, but she helped her nonetheless.

She got up as she stretched and walked up to the branches where a fire had been lit a few hours ago. She lit it again, accepting the fact that she wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. She turned toward the assassin with a curious stare. She really wondered who this man was.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on the feeling of his presence. It warmed her heart, really. It was a reassuring feeling and she was happy to feel it more accurately now that he was not on the brink of death. But as she let herself get lost in the feeling, she couldn't help but miss the exhilarating feeling of Kenneth's presence. The static under her skin and electricity running in her blood, making her head spin. The more she thought about it the more she really missed it...

She scowled at herself and shook her head, forcing her mind to stop thinking about him. She stared at the fire for a long moment, trying to distract herself. She still had Alek's book in her bag, but she didn't really feel like reading. She looked behind her toward the assassin again and really wished he would wake up. That way she would know what happened to him and who he was. And then maybe ask him if she could travel with him. Going to Al De Baran was easy, but having an experienced guide would be appreciated nonetheless.

She played in the fire with a stick, listening to the quiet sounds the dark forest was making. It was peaceful and so silent. It was a bit boring to be alone like this.

Then a sound startled her. A faint sound of rustling clothes. She turned around slowly, but all she saw was the baphomet jr sleeping and the man laying on the ground, both in the same position she had left them. She shrugged and looked back at her oh so interesting fire.

But she heard the sound again and raised a brow, looking behind her once more. Still nothing. She frowned intensely at herself. Was she hearing things now?

Verica looked at the assassin with a sigh. She should probably look at his wound, to make sure everything was alright. She got up from the ground and walked up to him, crouching beside him.

She reached for the bandage on his stomach. Her fingers had barely brushed against him when a strong hand grabbed her throat, the assassin's eye snapping open. She gasped and tried to get away in surprise, but the man quickly sat up, reaching for his boot with his other hand. He forced her to the ground, her back hitting the grass roughly as she saw him pull a knife out of his boot. He moved over her, standing on his knees and elbows as his hand left her neck and moved over her mouth, the knife in his other hand threatening to slice her throat any moment.

She stared at him with wide eyes, both hands in the air on each side of her face in a surrendered position. Her heart rate increased with the sudden adrenaline pumping in her vein and the cold metal on her skin made her shiver as she looked into his eye. It was not really brown, she realized, but a dark orange. The man frowned intensely at her, his cold hand pressed firmly against her mouth.

Then his gaze left her. He looked around, a hint of panic in his eye. He checked behind him and saw the baphomet jr sleeping on the ground. His eye softened slightly before looking back at the young woman under him. He removed his hand from her mouth slowly and put his arm on her collarbone to keep her on the ground.

"Who are you?" He asked with a frown. His voice was deep and soothing, despite his threatening tone.

"M-my name's Verica." She breathed out as she tried to stay calm. He was so close to her face that the tip of his white hair tickled her forehead. "I'm a monk from St. Capitolina's abbey..."

The assassin eyed her suspiciously, as if he was trying to determine if it was ok to let go of her. Apparently he decided it wasn't. He seemed a bit lost and obviously still in pain from his injuries. She looked down and saw blood starting to spread on his bandages.

"You shouldn't move like this." She whispered, unable to speak louder. "Y-your wound will reopen..."

The man looked down at his stomach and winced, more in annoyance than pain. Verica moved slightly under him but immediately he dug the blade slightly into her skin, forcing her to raise her head not to get cut as his gaze dared her to move an inch if she was courageous enough. Obviously she wasn't and she immobilized herself, only her chest moving up and down quickly with her erratic breathing.

"You healed me?" He asked, his brow furrowed and keeping his wary eye on her.

"Y-yes."

"...Why?"

Verica looked up at the assassin with a confused expression. Why? Because he was injured! What kind of question was that? But she was honestly too scared of him to actually answer him like that. So she decided to explain what happened, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

"Your pet." She started, pointing the creature with a small movement of her head. "I-I found him on the road and he led me to you. I took care of your most serious injuries but I couldn't heal you completely. You still need to rest. I can heal you again tomorrow when my energy comes b-"

"Why did you help me?" He interrupted her. Verica only stared at him with a puzzled gaze, not understanding his question. He frowned and continued. "You followed a monster into the forest? Then you found me and healed me? You don't know who I am, so why did you help? I could be a dangerous criminal, a rapist or a murderer for all you know."

"Maybe..." She said as her heart calmed down slowly, his voice strangely calming her despite his aggressivity. "But...all I saw was an injured man who needed help." She replied honestly. "I couldn't just let you die without doing anything."

The assassin stared at her a long moment. He seemed to doubt her words, but in the end, he probably decided that she represented no threat to him and removed the knife from her throat. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes a moment, letting her heart settle down in her chest and her hands fall on the ground on each side of her head. The white-haired man slowly moved away from her, resting on his heel as he put the knife back in his boot.

Verica sat up slowly and looked at his bandages. "Your wound reopened. You should lie down and sleep. I can heal you enough to close it again."

"I'm fine." He quickly replied as he got up, but his body betrayed his words and his face torn in pain. He staggered and leaned on the nearest tree, trying not to fall to his knees. Verica got to her feet in a heartbeat and walked up to him with a worried expression.

"Don't be stupid now." She said. "You're not fine. We both know it. So just lie down and let me help you."

The man looked briefly at her, obviously considering his options. In the end he sighed and leaned his back on the tree trunk, wincing from the pain before slowly sitting on the ground. He closed his eyes and stayed there, breathing heavily. Obviously he wasn't going to lie down. Verica sighed as she crouched in front of him. This man seemed pretty stubborn...

She reached for his bandages but his hand snapped up to grab her wrist, preventing her from touching him. Verica moved back, surprised by the sudden move. She didn't even see his hand leave his side. She met his blank gaze with an exasperated look. "I want to see what I'm doing..."

He stared at her a moment before letting go of her hand slowly and hesitantly. He reached for the bandages himself, removing it from his stomach with a grimace of pain. Verica deduced he didn't like being touched...

She casted heal on him and watched as the wound slowly closed again. The man looked briefly at her before turning his head away.

"...Thank you." He mumbled, barely audible. She smiled widely at him, even if it didn't reach his eye.

She finished her work and walked to her bag to take new bandages. Again, as she approached his wound, he stopped her and took the bandage to do the work himself. She frowned, but decided not to argue with the man.

"So...what's your name?" She asked politely with a smile, sitting on her legs. Her heart was beating fast in her chest. She was so excited to talk with him and had so many questions.

He glanced at her as he paused, then looked back at his work. "Why do you want to know?"

"Well, I told you mine." She said with a pout. "Do I need to threaten you with a knife for you to tell me your name?" She joked with a giggle.

The assassin looked up at her with a blank gaze for a few seconds before looking back at his stomach, ignoring her question and her little joke.

Verica frowned and pouted again. She wasn't sure if she should feel offended, or simply awkward. She felt a bit of both. She suddenly really didn't know what to do, except scowl at him. What was his problem anyway?

"Well, I did save your life...the least would be to answer me." She muttered as she looked away and crossed her arms.

The man sighed as he stopped taking care of his wound. He closed his eye for a brief moment before mumbling "Meiji."

"What?"

"My name. It's Meiji." He repeated, looking up at her with his lone exposed eye.

Verica smiled shyly, glad to see he wasn't a complete jerk after all. "That sound like a name from the island region. Is that where you're from?"

Once again he met her gaze with an emotionless one, making it clear, with his silence, that he wasn't going to answer. She looked away shyly with a pout and mumbled. "Nevermind..."

The assassin stared at her a moment with a blank face before bowing his head to finish his work. Once he was done he took a deep breath and looked around him, his eye lingering on his things gathered in front of the baphomet jr. He frowned slightly at the sight of his bloody clothes, but he didn't really seem to care that much.

Verica's torrent of question was on the tip of her tongue, but she kept it at bay. The man obviously didn't like questions. Although he would be dead right now if not for her. The least he could do was to answer her.

"May I ask what happened to you?" She asked carefully.

"I was attacked." He replied simply. His voice was incredibly calming and somehow didn't really fit with him. Then again, the feeling of his presence didn't fit with him either. It was so warm and comforting, while his behavior was cold and detached.

"Yes, I figured that much." She said as she rolled her eyes. "But by what? You're an assassin cross; you obviously seem able to handle yourself. There are no dangerous monsters in this area. What could have possibly happen for you to be on the brink of death like this?"

The man, now known as Meiji, glared at nothing in particular on the ground. "I'm not entirely sure really..." he started. "I was surrounded by black smoke, coming out of nowhere. I started bleeding, without seeing what was attacking me. It only lasted a few seconds and then the smoke vanished, leaving me bleeding all over the place." He said as he looked at the dry puddle of blood where he had previously sat "It was...ridiculous, for lack of a better word. I don't even understand how I got so badly injured in such a short amount of time, without being able to defend myself at all. I'd never seen nor heard of anything like that. It happened too fast and I was too disoriented after to see anything coherent."

"What happened then? What about you pet?" She asked, happy to see he was willing to answer her about that.

"Him?" He asked as he looked at the baphomet jr. "I don't know. As I said, I was too disoriented to notice anything around me. I tried to reach for healing potions, but I lost consciousness before I could do anything. Then I woke up here, heard the sound of a crippling fire and saw you." He continued as he looked at her with an emotionless face.

"And jumped on me. And threatened me with a knife." Verica added, not doing any effort at hiding her annoyance.

"My apologies for that. But I didn't know who you were" He said. "And I still don't know who you are..."

Verica frowned at him and crossed her arms. "I told you who I was."

"You told me your name and where you are from. The first is useless information and the second was obvious. What I'd rather know is what you were doing here and why you really helped me."

"I already told you why I helped you!" She said, louder than she intended, but she was getting tired of his suspicions. "You were bleeding to death! A few more minutes and you would have reached the window! I'm a fucking monk! I don't just let people die if I can do something about it!"

The assassin remained unmoved by her outburst and only stared at her calmly. "It was very dangerous of you to follow a monster into the forest. It could have been a trap."

"It could." She replied, her face flushing with annoyance. "But it wasn't! I knew he was tamed and I thought his master might be in danger. Obviously I was right!"

"Or I could have just sent him to fakely fetch help in order to lure people to me. Then kill them and rob them." He said matter-of-factly.

Verica's head moved back a little before she glared at him and scoffed. "Yeah, well if I'd think that, you'd be dead now! And I would be fucking sleeping!" She snapped, getting really pissed at the oh so calm and apparently intelligent man before her. Who did he think he was?

The white-haired man closed his eye and bowed his head slightly. "You're right. My apologies. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful." He said with his deep and calm voice.

She glared at the man some more before sighing, somehow unable to stay angry after the way he apologized so politely. And his voice...it was incredibly soothing.

"Anyway..." She muttered.

"So you helped me out of pure empathy then?" He said, doubts evident in his orange eye.

"Of course. You don't seem to believe it." Verica replied with a frown.

"I find it hard to believe indeed..." He said. His face was so devoid of emotions and it made Verica nervous somehow. She felt like he could read her so easily and she couldn't do the same with him. "But you're a monk. I suppose empathy is a prerequisite to the acolyte profession..."

"Is being a doubtful jerk a prerequisite to the assassin profession?" She mumbled with a hard stare.

"It is to stay alive." He replied simply.

Verica scoffed and looked away. God he was so unnerving...but at the same time he was so cool...

He was all calm and stoic, his voice so smooth. He spoke like a gentleman while being somehow threatening at the same time. He sounded so matter-of-factly, no matter what he said. He could probably say "bananas are pink" in a way that would make her believe it...

"And what were you doing here?" He continued with his second question.

"Actually, I'm on my way to Al De Baran." She said, without thinking.

"Alone? What's your business there?"

Ah, so HE could ask questions, but SHE couldn't? Oh no, that's not how it worked.

"Why should I tell you?" She said with a pout. "I don't know you."

The assassin made what could have been interpreted as I very faint smile before staring at her intensely. "A valid point..."

She blushed under his gaze as he scrutinized her. She felt really exposed all of a sudden. His eye roamed over her, then over her bag, then back at her. This was very awkward. Why was he looking at her like that?

"You're not an experienced adventurer, I can say that much." He said as his eye finally stopped studying her and locked on her eyes. "We are close to St. Capitolina's abbey, which means you probably just left. Probably this morning, considering where we are. Al De Baran is north from here, which is also where Juno is. You're alone, which let me think that you might be on your journey to become a champion. But I'd say you're somewhere around 20 years old, which is way too young to become a champion. You also seem awfully inexperienced and naive. Those lead me to think you're going to Al De Baran to join a party and travel, so you can gain experience and later go to Juno."

Verica opened her mouth to say something but he didn't let her.

"However... considering St. Capitolina's usual rules; if you left, it means your basic training is over. Otherwise, your master would be with you. 20 years old is much too young to have learned all the monk skills already. Either you left without consent, or you're an incredibly talented monk. By your attitude, I'd go for the second, because you don't seem like the kind of girl to disobey orders and the way you healed me is quite remarkable for a monk. But you look awfully stubborn and I suppose that in your naive mind, clouded by your probably outstanding talent, you thought you were ready to leave for Juno, despite your inexperience. Your master probably disagreed, but something must have happen between you two to convince him or her."

Verica stared at the white-haired assassin in front of her with wide eyes, her lips parted and her body frozen. She wanted to say something, but her brain was completely stun...

"So..." Meiji continued. "You're a very talented, but inexperienced monk, on your way to Juno to become a champion. Is that accurate?"

Verica tried not to blush even more, but failed miserably. She didn't understand why the heat rose to her cheek, but it did, and it disturbed her. She scowled and looked away.

"Am I supposed to be impressed?"

"I'm just deducing from what I'm seeing."

She glared at him, his attitude really pissing her off. His face was so emotionless, while his words sounded so arrogant. How did he even deduce all this?

"I'm not 20. I'm 24..." She mumbled, realizing too late that this was very childish.

"My apologies then. You look younger than that." He said matter-of-factly.

She frowned at him again. "Well, now you know who I am, what I'm doing here and why I helped you, happy?" She asked, louder and more aggressively than she intended.

The man sighed and looked at her a long moment. He closed his eye and bowed his head in a polite gesture.

"Forgive me. I didn't mean to upset you nor to sound unpleasant."

His voice was so calming. Verica felt confused by his behavior. One minute he was incredibly infuriating, the other he was the kindest gentleman...

"And again I apologize for threatening you." He said, his expression always emotionless. "I didn't mean to scare you. But a man in my condition cannot afford to be careless..."

"What do you mean, 'a man in your condition'?" She asked curiously.

"I am...sometime visited by unfriendly people..." He said simply with a stare that obviously meant he was not going to elaborate more than that. What a tease he was, letting out such small pieces of information like this. "In any case, I'm very grateful to you. For saving my life. It's...almost unsettling how you were at the right place at the right moment." He said, looking at her with a suspicious gaze once again.

"Maybe God put me on your way." She said with a smile.

The assassin looked at her with a raised brow and scoffed lightly, his mouth opening to say something, but he stopped himself at the last moment and looked away. "Right..."

"Where were you going? Before being attacked?" Verica asked, hoping he wouldn't ignore her again.

"Nowhere."

"...Nowhere?" Verica repeated as she tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"It means what it means."

"You mean you don't want to tell me."

"No. I mean I wasn't going anywhere in particular." He said, ever so calmly.

"You're a very confusing man..." she pouted.

"I don't think you have a lot of men to compare me with."

Verica gasped slightly and glared at the assassin with red cheeks. "What is that supposed to mean?!" She yelled. It was a miracle the baphomet jr. was still sleeping with all the noise she was making.

"My apologies. Didn't mean it as an insult of anything improper." He said, bowing his head again. God that man sure apologized a lot. "I'm just saying you look...awfully naive and easily impressed. You don't seem like you've met a lot of adventurer in your life. I can almost see all the questions you want to ask me on the tip of your tongue every time you open your mouth."

That was the third time he called her naive. Although it was greatly upsetting her, her attention caught on the word "questions" this time.

"Well, I do have a lot of questions..."

"Obviously..."

"Can I ask them?"

"Nothing is stopping you." He replied as he leaned his head on the tree and closed his eye.

Verica hesitated a moment, but her curiosity got the better of her.

"So...Meiji was your name, right? I can call you Meiji?"

"It would be strange if you couldn't call me by my name. It's my name, afterall."

Another obvious statement that made her feel a bit stupid, but she didn't pay attention to it.

"How old are you?"

"...Older than you." He replied after a moment of hesitation. Obviously he was expecting less trivial questions. But first thing first.

"I'm asking because you look rather young. But your hairs are white..."

"An accurate observation." He said, his eye still closed and his face still giving nothing away of what he felt or thought.

She waited for him to explain further, but apparently he didn't feel like elaborating on the subject. She pouted slightly as she went on with her next question.

"Where are you from?"

"Somewhere."

She narrowed her eyes at him, starting to understand where this was going.

"And why do you have a pet baphomet jr?"

"Why not?"

"You're not going to answer any of my questions are you?" She said with an exasperated frown.

"Depends on the questions and what you mean by 'answer'." He replied. He was so annoying, but Verica couldn't help but feel uneasy. His words were unnerving, but his calm and emotionless expression was a strange contrast. It was simply...unsettling.

"Alright..." She tried one last question. "This tattoo on your back. What does it mean?"

Now that got a reaction out of the man. A very small and almost unperceivable reaction, but she saw it. His body tensed a fraction of a second and one of his finger twitched as he opened his eye slowly to look at her. She tried to read his gaze, but there was simply nothing to read. It wasn't as if his eye was empty, but more like there was a wall, preventing anyone to see what lay behind this strange colored eye.

"It's very late." He stated. "I'd like to sleep, if you don't mind."

"Oh! Yes! Of course! I'm sorry!" Verica scowled at herself, forgetting about her questions. She got up and bowed politely to him. "I'll look at you injuries in the morning."

"Thank you." He whispered as he watched her going back to her bedroll.

She turned around with an awkward expression. "Hm...do you...have everything you need? I mean...to sleep and all?"

"Yes." He replied simply, pointing to his bloody stuff with a small nod.

"Ok...well..." She hesitated a moment. "Goodnight then..." She said with a shy smile.

The man simply nodded and Verica lay down inside her bedroll, her back turned to the man. She felt like his gaze was still on her, but she didn't have the courage to actually turn around and look. This was very awkward...but very exciting at the same time. Millions of thoughts plagued her mind.

Needless to say that she had lots of trouble falling asleep...

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><p>Thank you very much for reading :) Reviews are soooo appreciated, so don't hesitate :)<p> 


	29. 5:Need for scheme

Not sure how to feel about this chapter. It's a bit...all over the place -_- anyway.

And thank you to ninken ear for the title :P Freaking titles...I hate finding titles.

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><p><strong>Chapter 29 Need for scheme<strong>

Tiredness took the better of Verica after a few hours of laying in her bedroll, but already the sun was starting to brighten the sky. She had only slept maybe 2 or 3 hours when she was woken up by a deep and soothing voice. It startled her at first, not recognizing the voice, until she opened her eyes and remembered where she was. The fire was dead in front of her and she heard the incomprehensible mumbles of the baphomet jr. behind her, then the deep voice again.

"That's not my problem."

Verica turned her head slightly to see what was going on. The assassin was rolling his bedroll and gathering his things as the baphomet jumped and "talked" to him.

"I know that, but that's not my problem." He repeated again as he looked toward his small friend.

The baphomet mumbled and Verica wondered if he really was talking or if it was some kind of telepathic communication going on between them. The man took his shirt and paused as he looked at it. His fingers played with the torn pieces of material tangling at the bottom of the black garment. "Where is the rest of the shirt..." He said as he glanced around him. The baphomet shrugged as he looked around too.

"Nevermind. I'd need to get a new one anyway...it's kind of gross, with all that blood on it." The baphomet made a sound that looked like a snort and the assassin looked down at him. "Yeah, but it's usually other people's blood. This is my own. It's... unsettling." The baphomet mumbled again and the man sighed.

"You can be such a nuisance sometimes... Yes, I know, stop saying that. No matter how many time you say it, it's not going to make me change my mind... Of course not...Yes, I am, but that's not the point... Don't get all emotional on me now..."

Verica raised a brow at the show going on behind her. The sight of the assassin, seemingly talking to himself, even if she knew he was talking with the demon, was very strange...

The man sighed again after putting his torn shirt on, apparently not caring if it was drenched in blood and cut in many places. He removed his belt and put it on again on top of his open shirt that left his chest bare. "We both know this is not a good idea." The small creature gave him a hard stare and crossed his arms, making his master close his eye briefly before looking up at the sky. "I know that..."

Verica felt a bit out of place, listening to him like this, but she didn't know what else to do. She could have just gotten up and let him know she was awake...but she was curious to know what he was talking about.

The baphomet made a strange face and mumbled again, making the assassin look down at him with a thoughtful expression. The pet raised a brow at his master, apparently waiting for an answer to a question. The man sighed deeply as he closed his eye and mumbled. "Honor...I know..."

The baphomet jr. threw his small arm out toward the young monk, his eyes still locked on his master. Verica tried to deduce what he was talking about, but it was hard with only half of the conversation.

The white-haired man seemed to hesitate as he rubbed the nape of his neck, his eye still closed. Then he looked at his pet and whispered. "It's not so simple...No, let me finish, we both know it's not so simple..." He said, his hand in front of him.

The monster crossed his arms and glared at the tall man, mumbling something that made his master sigh once again. "Alright, alright...Look, if she asks, I will. Otherwise...No, I know that's not how it works but...You're taking all this way too seriously..." He said as he shook his head. The baphomet rolled his eyes as he sat down grumpily.

"Look, I always pay my debts. You know that." The assassin continued. "And yes, I know I have a huge one toward that girl...Yes, I know, but..." He hesitated a moment as he put his black gloves on, pulling them on top of his sleeves and up to the middle of his upper arm. He bowed his head and rubbed his face with his hand as he groaned. "Alright..."

The small demon looked up at his master with a raised brow and a hint of hope in his eyes as he mumbled again.

"Yes, yes, I will." The man said as he shook his head and tied his retractable katar to his arms. "You can be such a nuisance sometimes. You're lucky you're cute. I would have drowned you in a river long ago otherwise."

That made the pet smile and laugh, as much as a demon could laugh. He mumbled something again as the assassin took his rib cage-shaped chest plate. "I'll do as she want, but I still hope she won't ask that. It would be more dangerous than anything for her...But yes, if she asks, I will...Yes, I promise. Now stop pestering me with this."

Verica smiled lightly at their exchange. His relationship with his pet was somewhat...adorable. The assassin still had the same calmness and impassive expression, but he seemed more sociable than yesterday. She turned her head back subtly, not to let him know she was awake. Luckily he wasn't like Kenneth. Her sensei could tell in a heartbeat if she was sleeping or not. She shifted in her bedroll slowly, feigning to wake up. Immediately the assassin stopped moving behind her as he watched her sitting up and stretching. She rubbed her eyes and looked toward him with a smile.

"Good morning." She said, politely. The man stared at her with his blank gaze and nodded, probably his way to say good morning. Verica's smile faded slightly when she met his gaze. Now that she looked at him closely, he didn't seem more friendly at all. He was still cold and detached. It was as if the man she saw a few seconds ago had vanished. He looked away and raised his chest plate to put it on.

"Wait!" Verica got out of her bedroll quickly. "I need to check you wound." She said as she walked toward him.

"I'm fine." The assassin replied as he continued his work, but his small friend punched him on his leg with a glare. His master frowned at him and the baphomet frowned back. They glared at each other for a short moment before the white-haired man rolled his eye and put the chest plate back on the ground, obviously biting his lips to prevent the groan of exasperation from leaving his throat. The baphomet looked up at the young woman and winked, which forced her to muffle her laughter.

She crouched before him and was about to remove his bandages when she remembered what happened the last time she tried that. "Could you remove your bandages please?" She asked softly.

The man's eye widen slightly at her polite demand and she saw his shoulders relax, obviously his annoyance eased by her respect of his personal space. He removed his shirt from under his belt and stripped his stomach from the bandages, then the ones at his throat. She cast heal to make sure he was completely patched up. It didn't take long and she smiled after a few minutes.

"You're good now."

"Thank you." He said as he took the chest plate once again and put it on.

He got up slowly, adjusting all the pieces of his gear before taking his faded red scarf from the ground. He held it up in front of his face and frowned slightly at the big cut surrounded by blood in it. He sighed and put it around his neck, letting it fall on his back and pulling it up to hide his mouth. He reached for his bag and his sakkat, putting the first on his back and the second on his head. He adjusted his eyepatch a little and sighed in contentment.

Verica stood as well, standing only in her pants and her strapless tank top. She took a better look at him, now with the light of the rising sun. He was taller than her by a head. His skin seemed less pale than yesterday, but it was still lighter than hers. His chest had a few scars here and there, but besides the one she'd just healed, he was in pretty good shape. Especially compared to her sensei, but scars came with the monk profession. He was muscular, but not too much: his body was obviously meant to move quickly and precisely. His straight, messy white hair and orange eye gave him an exotic look. It was funny how he looked so eccentric while his behavior was so calm. His posture inspired her discipline, yet he looked stoic and disinterested. In all honesty, he troubled her. She simply didn't know how to feel about him.

"Thank you very much for everything." He said as he turned toward her.

"It was nothing." She replied as she tried to hold his gaze, but she found herself unable to. It was like talking to a statue and she felt somewhat uneasy.

"Is there anything I can do to repay you." He asked in a low tone.

Verica suddenly understood what their earlier conversation was about. She smiled widely at the assassin and raised her hand in front of her.

"It's alright mister." She didn't feel comfortable enough to call him by his name. "I did my duty, that's all. You owe me nothing."

"Nothing? I owe you my life, it's hardly nothing." He said with a shrug. "I'm in debt towards you...and I hate having debts." He stated as his eye narrowed at the young woman in front of him.

His last sentence almost sounded like a threat and Verica found herself playing with her hands nervously. "W-well...I don't know what to tell you."

"Just tell me how I can repay you. Whatever it is, I'll honor it." The man said as he joined his hands behind his back and waited for her reply, staring at her intensely.

Verica shifted her gaze to her feet as she thought. She hadn't anticipated this. Honestly, she half expected to wake up alone this morning. She never thought he would want to repay her favor like this.

Her first reaction was to ask him to come with her to Juno and escort her. He seemed very experienced and she felt she could learn a lot from him. But his behavior put her off a little. She didn't know what to think of him. And there was this baphomet jr. He seemed friendly enough, but he was still a demon. She couldn't find it in herself to thrust him; the heavy and dark feeling of his presence pushing on her shoulders every moment. But the man...his presence was so inviting. So warm and comforting. Like a family home, heated by a fireplace while it snowed outside. If she'd learned something during her years as a monk, it was that feelings of presences usually told a lot about a person. And she was incredibly curious about this man. The more she thought about it, the more the idea seduced her and before she knew it, the words left her lips.

"Well, as you said, I'm inexperienced. I've never been in the outside world before. I was hoping to go to Al De Baran to join a party but...well, if you'd want to escort me, I'd be glad to travel with you to Juno." She said as she looked up at him and smiled warmly.

The man made a small sound that looked like a snort. "You are awfully trusting. You have no idea who I am and you would put your life in my hands like this?"

Verica shrank a little under his gaze, realizing how dangerous the situation could be. But she thrusted her instinct and her feelings.

"Your presence feels too warm for you to be a bad person." She whispered with a soft smile. The assassin frowned in incomprehension which made her blush lightly, realizing he had no idea what she was talking about. "I mean, where would the world go if no one trusted each other anymore. Trust goes both way. You can't expect people to trust you if you don't trust them." She finished with a warm smile.

The man widened his eye at her a brief moment before it softened and his cheeks moved slightly, letting her think that he might be smiling under his scarf. But no way for her to know for sure.

"An interesting point of view." He whispered. "But naively idealistic." She didn't hear the second comment though.

"And beside." She continued with a grin. "I saved your life! You said it yourself; you're in debt. And I expect a man with the word 'honor' tattooed on his back to pay his debts, no?"

That got another reaction out of him. His eye narrowed at her for a fraction of a second and his back straightened slightly. But he ignored her comment and continued.

"I'm not a very good travelling companion." He stated. "I generally travel alone. You see...I tend to cause more trouble than anything else."

"I don't mind trouble." She said with a defiant smile and crossed her arms.

The assassin stared at her unmoved. "You'll mind this kind of trouble..."

The baphomet hit the tall man's shin with the handle of his scythe, causing him to wince slightly and glare at the small creature beside him. He sighed and gazed up at Verica once again.

"But...I do have a debt towards you." He continued. "If this is what you wish...but be warned that I might end up bringing more danger than protection..."

"Does it have something to do with this black smoke? With how you were injured?"

"No..." He whispered as he looked away with a frown. "I really don't know what was this black smoke. I have never seen it before and I have no idea what it was. I can only hope I'll never see it again."

"Then what is this danger you're talking about? Are you in trouble?" Verica asked with a frown.

"...I think 'trouble' is an euphemism in this case." He said slowly. Then he shrugged. "But I haven't seen them in a while. I suppose we should be alright until we get you to Juno."

"Who's 'them'?"

"The trouble."

"Do you always answer questions so vaguely."

"I generally don't answer questions at all."

Verica couldn't help but laugh at his honesty. "Alright, it has the merit to be clear."

The assassin stared at her a long moment, obviously thinking about the situation. He sighed and closed his eye, bringing his arms in front of him to cross them over his chest. "Very well, I'll escort you to Juno. But let's get things straight: I'm not a babysitter. I expect you to follow me and do as I say without unnecessary questions. I'll make sure you arrive to Juno alive, but don't expect me to nurse you. Are we clear?"

"Y-yes sir..." She replied nervously, a little taken aback by the sudden change of tone, going from calmed to commanding in an instant.

"Please don't call me sir." He replied quickly, his voice back to its earlier smoothness. "If my terms suit you, then we can leave whenever you're ready."

"You're ready to go? But then..." Verica narrowed her eyes at him a moment. "So yesterday when you said you weren't going anywhere, you actually meant it. You were just...what, wandering around?."

"Yes...'wandering around' seems like an accurate way to describe my current situation."

"Wandering around and away from trouble?" Verica said with a small smile and a raised brow.

The man nodded his head in a "indeed" manner. Verica hesitated a moment, then decided that this whole situation was very exciting. She was curious to see what was going to happen. She looked down at the small demon beside the assassin.

"And do you have a name?" She asked.

"Daniel."

Verica looked back at the man with a frown. "Pardon?"

"It's his name."

"...Your baphomet's name is...Daniel?"

"Yes."

Verica tried really hard not to laugh at how ridiculous that sounded. She didn't know how she managed to stay serious, but she did. She coughed and nodded to the pet. "Nice to meet you...Daniel..."

The baphomet waved his little hand at her with a happy eye crease. Verica really didn't know what to think of him. He seemed so friendly...but she couldn't push aside the fact that it was a demon. If she listened to the rules of the abbey, she would kill him right there on the spot without questions. But...he really didn't seem dangerous.

"We'll stop by Al De Baran, as you were planning, since it is the last city before Juno. In theory we could go west and stop by Einbroch, but it would take more time and I don't think it's necessary. Travelling from Al De Baran to Juno directly is more than doable. Does that suit you?" He asked casually.

"Hum...yes. It's alright..." She replied shyly.

"Very well. Let me know when you're ready." The man said as he removed his backpack and leaned on the tree behind him, hands in his pocket.

She nodded her head before she turned around to gather her things and get dressed. She glanced back at the man a few times and couldn't help but smile widely in excitement. This was going to be so thrilling...

Then she had a small thought for her sensei, who told her to stay away from assassins...

'Sorry sensei, I guess fate had other plans for me.' She thought with a sheepish smile.

She shook her head immediately, before the thought of her teacher could invade her mind further. She'd managed to forget him last night. She didn't want to feel miserable and sad all over again and so she pushed all her thoughts concerning him to a small room at the back of her head and locked the door, hoping it would prevent her from thinking about him too much.

Wishful thinking was still permitted, no?

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><p>Kenneth sighed deeply as he rolled on his back. It was morning already and he had to get up to go talk with Mathias and Tomoon about their "plan". He wasn't very thrilled by the idea and his body seemed determined to make him stay in bed. Why had he gotten involved in this?<p>

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to go back to sleep, but the ambient sounds and light was making it impossible. He wasn't really sleepy anyway. He just didn't want to get up. He sighed again, rubbing his face with his hand and frowning. He really had to get up, before Mathias came and flipped his bed over...wouldn't be the first time...

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt something in the bed with him. His body froze when he felt two warm hands on his thighs. He sat up quickly and look down to see a bulge in the sheets, as if someone was crouched there.

"What the..." He frowned and raised the sheets quickly to look under it. His breath caught in his lungs when his gaze met long purple hair. The girl to whom it belonged raised her head slowly to greet him with two deep dark eyes and a secretive smile, her mouth inches away from his crotch.

"Good morning sensei." She whispered, letting him feel her hot breath through the fabric of his pants.

Kenneth stared at her with wide eyes for a short moment before pulling the sheets back down quickly to look around. There was no one in the sanctuary anymore...

Oh please, not another dream...

He raised the sheets again slowly, as if somehow it would make the girl between his legs disappear. But she was still there, hands on his thigh and looking way too playful for his liking.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, as if she really was there and this was not just the fruit of his imagination.

"I'm here because this is where you want me to be." She said with a seductive smile before lowering her head to his navel, kissing his skin gently. He sucked in a breath as his body tensed from the warm sensation. He closed his eyes, trying to force himself awake.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" He whispered to himself.

The young woman kissed his stomach tenderly as her fingers curled in the waistband of his pants. She pulled them down an inch as her mouth caressed the newly exposed skin, making him squeeze his eyes shut firmly and his hands fist in the sheets. Then another inch, and another inch; her lips following the descent slowly...

Kenneth's eyes snapped open as he sat up on his bed, breathing heavily and eyes wide. The girl between his legs had disappeared and the other monks were back in the dormitory. He ran his hand his hair as he tried to calm his crazy heart beat. What the fuck was that?

He lay back down on his mattress, panting and wiping the sweat from his forehead. This was really not funny. He had barely recovered from the first erotic dream, now this? Was he going to dream about her like this all the time? Good God he hoped not...

And the fact that those dreams replaced his usual one...what could it mean?

Maybe it didn't mean anything...

He sighed and closed his eyes. As if he didn't have enough problem like this. One thing at a time. Right now he needed to get up and meet with Mathias. The meaning of his dirty dream would have to wait.

He raised the sheets and looked down at his pants.

Yeah, well... he would wait a bit before getting up...

After a few minutes, Kenneth slipped out of his bed and got dressed, pushing his thoughts about Verica to the back of his mind. The moment he stepped out of the dormitory into the cafeteria, his eyes settled immediately on the three champions sitting in a corner, whispering among them and looking way too suspicious. Kenneth rolled his eyes as he walked reluctantly toward them. Really, they could try to look more natural. It was obvious they were plotting something. If Yolene was to enter the sanctuary now, she would spot them and know immediately that something was going on. Mathias was sitting in front of Tomoon with a glass of clear liquid that was probably not water and he smiled widely when he saw Kenneth approaching. He tapped the chair beside him with a grin, inviting him to their little conversation that the younger man was not so sure he wanted to take part in.

"Good morning boy." Mathias said cheerfully.

"Hi..." Kenneth sat down and nodded to Tomoon and Joey, his student, sitting beside him.

"Hey, you don't look very enthusiast there Kenny." Joey said with a smirk. Kenneth tried very hard not to glare as he replied to him.

"I don't see any reason to be enthusiast. And please...don't call me that..." He sighed, already regretting his decision to join them on their crazy plan.

"Kss, you're so boring." The blond-haired man pouted, joining his hands behind his head and leaning on his chair.

Kenneth bit the inside of his lips and sighed deeply at the other champion's attitude. He never particularly like Joey, honestly. He was a loud mouth always bragging and showing off. Kenneth prefered spending his time with calmer people, like Bashu and Carly. He was 6 years older than himself and his blond hair partly tied at the back of his head made him look even older than he really was. He never shut his mouth and always grinned in a most unsettling manner. It was like he was about to do a prank at any moment. Kenneth recognized his skills, of course, and the feat of going through Tomoon's ruthless training was indeed something to be proud of. The broad old man was a true warrior, pitiless and with very strict morals and opinions. That man was either white or black. There were no grey zone with him and every one of his qualities (that sometimes looked more like faults to Kenneth) had been carefully implanted into his apprentice. But Joey's personality in general was simply annoying and clashed with Kenneth's...

"Alright." Mathias took a sip of his "water" before looking at Kenneth. "Are you ready to do this?"

"You didn't leave me much choice." Kenneth scowled.

"Hey, people are getting hurt because of you." Joey said with a frown. "The least you can do is help discovering why."

"We already know why." Kenneth replied as calmly as possible.

"That's not enough. They'll keep attacking you again and again, until they get what they want. We need more information to beat them at their own game and keep people safe."

Oh. Because he was suddenly an expert of demonic prophecies maybe? Hell, he was not the one plagued with foreshadowing nightmares or persecuted by demons! What did he know about all this? He had just been informed of that whole mess! Who was he to get up now all cocky and tell him what he should do?

Of course he didn't say that out loud...

"Look, I understand the idea." He sighed, doing a good job at remaining calm for the moment. "But I doubt Baphomet will tell us anything. I'm pretty sure we're taking a useless risk here."

"You're just scared of going down there." Joey scoffed.

"I'm not scared." Kenneth replied with a fake smile. "I simply think it's a waste of time and effort." He looked at Tomoon and whispered. "And I'm honestly more scared of Yolene's wrath than Baphomet..."

"I agree with you on that." Tomoon said with a chuckle. "But Yolene is too soft. She's not aggressive enough about this whole situation. She'll never let us go if we tell her. Time is to action, whether she likes it or not. Let me handle her anger afterward. And if we do obtain more information, it'll help her forgive us I'm sure."

Kenneth leaned back on his chair and sighed deeply, glancing at Mathias from the corner of his eye. The man simply stared at his drink, making it swirl around in the glass. Obviously he had no intention of adding anything to this conversation.

"Always worrying Kenny." Joey said with a laugh. "You think too much, that's your problem."

Kenneth ignored him and his nickname as he nodded to Tomoon and shrugged. "Alright. You're the council member. I guess you know what you're doing."

"Don't worry about that." He said as he nodded back, paying no attention to his student's pout from being ignored. He better get used to it, because Kenneth was probably going to ignore him for the rest of their little expedition.

"Now that the little boy's worries about being spanked are eased, here's the deal." Mathias started as he put his glass on the table, catching their attention. Kenneth scoffed but let the insult slip. "As we were saying earlier, getting into the Shrine won't be a problem since you're in charge of its security." He pointed to Tomoon. "Just arrange the schedule so that Joey will be the guard tonight. It shouldn't be too suspicious and even if it is, we will be long gone before Yolene realizes what's going on. But if everything goes well, we'll be able to get in and get out before the sun rise and no one will know about it. The hardest part will be to reach Baphomet's prison. But with us four, it should be more than doable."

"Piece of cake." Joey smirked.

"You've never been the the Sealed Shrine obviously." Kenneth said.

"Neither did you."

"No, but I know it's not a 'piece of cake'."

"You're such a pussy..."

"I'm just careful."

"Same thing."

"I hope you two don't intend to bitch like that all along." Tomoon said in a low tone as he glared at the two younger champions. Mathias brought his drink to his lips to hide his smirk. This was going to be so entertaining.

Joey pouted and leaned back on his chair as Kenneth simply looked away, biting the inside of his lips like he always did when trying not to look upset.

"You kids are so charming." Mathias mumbled in his glass before taking a sip. "We're going to do this tonight. Any objections? No? Good." He didn't really gave them time to voice any objection. "We will meet behind the sanctuary tonight at midnight. Then we'll go to the Sealed Shrine."

"Sounds good to me." Tomoon said with a nod.

"And then what?" Kenneth sighed. "We go down there, alright. But what do you intend to tell Baphomet once we have him in front of us? He has no reasons to tell us anything and it's not like we have anything to bargain with him."

"Bargain? We never bargain with demons." Tomoon replied with a frown.

"N-no...of course not." Kenneth stuttered as he realized what he just said. "What I mean is that I don't see how we'll make him talk."

"He may not say anything directly to us. But by talking to him, we can manage to make him say things he doesn't want to...in a subtle manner. Demons are not perfect. They have their pride and their ego. We can play on that. We'll see once we get there, depending on how he welcomes us."

"Welcome us?" Kenneth chuckled lightly. "He'll welcome us like a prisoner welcomes his jailer..."

"Then we'll treat him like a jailer treats his prisoner." Tomoon said with a dark smile, Joey beside him grinning widely.

"He's a great demon. You can't just get in there and torture him like you did with the succubus." Kenneth pointed out as he shook his head.

"There's no need to worry about all this. Baphomet is bound by his seal. As long as we stay out of it, he can't do anything. There's nothing to worry about. Everything will be fine." Mathias said to Kenneth with a smile.

"Sure...I really don't see what could go wrong..." The younger man replied with fake confidence.

"You don't have to come you know, if you're too scared." Joey said with this unsettling grin of his.

Kenneth's eye twitched as he smiled politely at the blond man. "I'd never forgive myself if you were to die down there, without me to protect you."

Joey laughed loudly as he leaned over the table, his eyes shining with the thrill of a new challenge being accepted. He was about to answer back, but Tomoon put his hand on his shoulder as he got up.

"Alright, we'll see each other tonight then. Joey." He took a step to leave, nodding his head to the side to make his student follow him. The younger man scoffed as he glanced back at Kenneth, getting up to follow his teacher.

"Try not to chicken out Kenny." He whispered before leaving, his grin still in place.

Kenneth took a deep, very deep breath as he felt his whole body tense. "What the fuck is that guy's problem." He whispered through clenched teeth.

"He likes challenges...and you're the ultimate challenge, mister genius." Mathias replied with an amused smile.

"He really has to come?"

"You can bitch all you want about him, but you can't deny his skills."

"I know..." Kenneth sighed.

"You'll see, everything will be fine Kenneth. " Mathias patted him on the shoulder as he finished his drink, making a weird face afterward. Kenneth eyed the glass a moment.

"Don't you think you're exaggerating a little?" He whispered.

"About what?"

Kenneth nodded his head toward the empty glass. "It's not even noon yet..."

"What? It's water." Mathias said with smirk. Kenneth shook his head and smiled despite his worries.

"Yeah. Of course."

"You better take it easy today. We have a long night ahead of us...ah, that sounded dirty." Mathias laughed to himself, making Kenneth roll his eyes and laugh as well.

"You're disgusting." Kenneth chuckled.

"Considering who we're going to spend the night with, I agree."

Kenneth grunted in disgust as he hit his forehead with the palm of his hand, which made Mathias laugh even louder. "You have images now don't you?"

"Good God stop it." Kenneth shuddered as images indeed popped in his head. He tried to look upset, but Mathias' laugh was too contagious and he chuckled too. That man was so stupid.

"Alright, I'm sorry." Mathias said as he slowly stopped laughing, wiping the small tear from his eyes. "I'll see you tonight."

"Wait. There's...something I need to talk to you about." Kenneth said as he stopped laughing too.

"What is it?"

"I..." Kenneth paused, not sure how to bring it up. "You remember about my dream?"

"How could I forget about you dream boy?" Mathias said with a raised brow.

"Well I...I stopped having it." Kenneth said hesitantly.

Mathias' eyes narrowed at his student. "What? What do you mean? Since when?"

"Since yesterday." Kenneth sighed. "When Carly came to find me at the south cliff, I was sleeping. She woke me up and I wasn't having that dream. Last night neither."

"Did you dream about something else."

Kenneth looked away, trying to keep the heat from rising to his cheeks as images of a bold Verica licking his navel came to his mind. "No, I didn't dream..."

"You didn't dream at all?"

"Well, maybe I did but I don't remember it." He lied. "My other dream always woke me up and I always remembered having it." he said nervously.

"You're hiding something from me..." Mathias mumbled as he leaned toward him with a suspicious gaze.

Kenneth leaned away and crossed his arms. "I'm just telling you I'm not having the dream anymore, that's all."

"You didn't have it two times. We should wait until it happens more often before drawing any conclusion." Mathias said, still invading Kenneth's personal space and staring at him.

"Why are you looking at me like that!" He yelled with an annoyed stare.

"What did you dream about? It must be embarrassing if you don't want to tell me about it?"

"That is none of your business." Kenneth scowled, but his red cheeks were enough proof for Mathias who smiled widely.

"Was it dirty?"

"Mathias!"

"Hoho, it was!" The old man grinned.

"I hate you so much you have no idea..." Kenneth whispered as he sank on his seat, trying to trigger some kind of magic that would make him disappear. He wish he was a thief right now so he could hide...but that would be useless since monks can use ruwach...why was he even thinking about this now? Oh yeah; so that he wouldn't think about the erotic incarnation of his student his mind seemed to like so much recently...

'...Why me?'

"Such dreams are inevitable after such a long time without any kind of sexual encounter. I mean how long has it been since you-"

"No! Oh my God... no. Stop." Kenneth interrupted him quickly, his blush spreading to his neck.

"Obviously too long. We should go to Comodo together. Sasha still works there you kno-"

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

"It would make you feel better-"

"No it wouldn't."

"That succubus probably awakened all kind of repressed desire inside you boy. It would be unhealthy to keep them all bottled up. They might come out at a most inappropriate moment." Mathias continued, his grin only widening the more Kenneth's face reddened. God he loved embarrassing him. He was so easy to embarrass.

"You're unbearable..." Kenneth whispered as he shook his head and frowned.

"Was your dream with the succubus? I bet it was. It was, isn't it?"

Kenneth took a deep breath as he got up from his chair. "I'm not having this discussion with you."

"Or maybe it was Carly?"

He took a step to leave and ignored him.

"Or maybe someone...more masculine? It's alright too you know." Mathias yelled behind him, smiling like a cheshire cat.

Kenneth wrinkled his nose as he shuddered and shook his head, hearing the old man laugh his ass off behind him. Stupid, perverted old man...

As he stepped outside he glanced up at the sky with an exasperated sigh.

"If this is some kind of joke, it is not funny at all." He whispered to God. "Do you really enjoy fucking up with my mind so much?"

Of course the heavens offered no reply to his question and Kenneth sighed deeply.

"Yeah...I thought so..."

* * *

><p>Not much happened here, but I needed to do this chapter. Set up the stage...kind of.<p>

I want Mathias as my grandfather...


	30. 5:Going down

Warning: sexual content ahead. I think it's...more explicit than what I have done until now so...I'm warning you a little...

I'm very anxious about this chapter, because I'm introducing something that is not in RO at all. Well, let's say that I'm modifying it. Since my story takes place in the future, I thought I could take advantage of that and bend RO's universe to my will even more. I hope you don't mind and that it will make sense.

And once again, mature content in the first part.

and I hate finding titles...

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 30 Going down<strong>

'Still one hour...' Kenneth thought as he stared the clock above the door of the dormitory, like he had been doing for the past 3 hours.

He had gone to bed early, wanting to have some rest before following Mathias into his crazy plan. But as he rested his head on his pillow, he faced a very disturbing problem.

He was afraid to fall asleep...

All day long, he thought about Verica. He was still worried about her, even more after what happened with Carly. What if they try to get her next? But as Mathias had said; if they had wanted to kill her, they would have tried before. And of course he had faith in her capacities. She wasn't going to go down so easily. It's just that he would much prefer to have her by his side and be able to protect her. Although she was probably safer away from him right now. Of course his reasoning had nothing to do with the fact that he missed her a lot already...alright, maybe a little.

But his worries were not the reason why he was so scared to close his eyes.

Yes, all day long, he thought about Verica...but he also thought about "the other" Verica. This mental image of her that seemed to plague his mind since she left. She had only been gone 2 days and already he was feeling the weight of her absence on his shoulders...and on his mind. Two days and two dreams. Both very inappropriate and scary in their realism. Both coming out of nowhere, confusing and disconcerting. He couldn't understand why he was having these dreams. Maybe it really was just because of his encounter with Carly, or maybe it was...this strange moment of intimacy they shared before she left when she kissed his cheek. Although he really didn't think that such an innocent display of affection might have triggered such reactions inside him. No, really he didn't understand why those inappropriate images kept filling his dreams.

He just had to close his eyes to be able to see it again; the image of her kneeled in front of him or the feeling of her tongue lapping around his navel...or her fingers pulling slowly on his pants. It was all so vivid in his brain that it felt like a real memory more than a dream. It was making him very ashamed that no matter if Verica was far away out in the open, that his best friend Carly was still unconscious and that demons were still trying to kill him, despite all that, what worried him most right now was his erotic dreams and the consequences of them on his sanity...

And that is why he was so scared to sleep...

He looked at the clock again. Only 2 minutes had passed...

Kenneth sighed deeply, tugging the sheets tightly around him. Truth was that he was very sleepy since he hadn't slept much last night. That's why he tried to concentrate on the clock and force his eyes to stay open. But it was getting difficult. Really he just felt like closing his eyes and sleep, while at the same time he didn't want to. He shifted in his bed, laying on his back and forcing his eyes wide open to stay awake. He never should have gone to bed at all. It would have been easier. But now that he was in the warm comfort of his blanket, he didn't feel like leaving them either.

His eyes slipped shut a second before he snapped them open quickly, but they closed again. He frowned and raised his hands to his face, smacking both of his cheeks in a desperate attempt to wake himself. He should just get up and wait in the cafeteria, on a hard wooden chair; that would force him to stay awake. But his body felt so heavy and the air felt so cold outside of his sheets...

He raised his head up slightly to look at Mathias' bed. Empty. He had probably not gone to bed at all. He should have done the same...

His eyes closed once again against his will, but this time he kept them shut. Just a few seconds. Then he would open them again...and get up...

Seconds felt more like minutes as his head started to feel heavier.

But his eyes were forced open quickly when he felt the all too familiar presence in front of him. His gaze met hers immediately as she stood before his bed, smiling with her hands joined behind her back.

"Hi sensei."

Kenneth closed his eyes and sighed in exasperation. "Fuck..." He fell asleep. Why did he close his eyes? He shouldn't have gone to bed at all!

His bed shifted under her weight as she crawled above him, but Kenneth sat up and moved away until his back hit the wall behind him. She rested her hands on the mattress as she stopped between his bent legs, smiling innocently at him. He squeezed his eyes shut firmly and slammed his hands down on his cheeks.

'Oh hell no. I'm going down into a demon's prison in a few hours. I don't need these kind of dreams now. I don't need them at all. Not now, not ever. Wake up idiot...'

Verica bent over, touching his chest with her lips lightly without kissing. She dragged her mouth down his abdomen in a butterfly touch, her breath warming his skin while her soft lips tickled him. He felt the heat rise in his stomach instantly and he forced himself to open his eyes when she reached his navel. He caught her shoulders and forced her back up to meet her hooded gaze with his annoyed one.

"Stop that." He whispered, as if he really was in the dormitory and people were sleeping.

"Why?" She asked in the same low tone, her eyes locked on his blue ones.

"Because...you shouldn't do things like that." He said hesitantly. Why was he even bothering to talk with her?

"But I'm not really doing anything." She giggled softly. "This is all in your head."

Kenneth stared at her with a deep frown, his back pressed firmly against the wall behind him as if somehow it would be possible for him to be swallowed by it and disappear. "I...I know that..."

"Then why are you resisting?" She asked as she tilted her head to the side, her hands closing on top of his to remove them from her shoulders slowly. "Just let it go sensei. You know you want to let it go."

She leaned toward him, her lips parted and her eyes half-closed. Kenneth tried to move his head away but the wall behind him didn't let him. He breathed heavily as he watched her moist lips getting closer to his, inviting him to touch them, feel them, do whatever he wanted with them. He felt completely mesmerized by her lips and his fingers were shaking in hers; the heat caused by this simple sight making him dizzy, almost feverish. His hand moved up slowly, very tempted to brush his thumb against her lower lip and feel her hot breath...

He shook his head quickly and grabbed her jaw instead of caressing her lips, preventing her from moving further. He bowed his head to look away from her as he tried to take deep breaths to calm himself, not really succeeding. He glanced back at her hesitantly, staring at her in the eyes and trying to remain unmoved by the way she was eating him alive with her gaze. He wasn't very successful there either and he looked away again.

"No matter if this is real or not." He whispered, his voice shaken by his uneven breathing. "I don't want to have these kind of images in my head. You...you're just a child, it's not-"

"I haven't been a child in years sensei. You know that." She whispered back softly. He could feel her breath on his mouth, making him squeeze her jaw more tightly as he closed his eyes and tried again to move his head back despite the wall.

"I know...but I don't want to see you like that." He said, shaking his head. "I don't want to...feel these things."

"You mean 'these' things?"

He felt her hand grope him through his pants and he gasped sharply, his whole body tensing under the firm touch as his eyes snapped open. His hand not holding her face clasped down around her wrist to pull her away, but her other hands did the same and prevented either of them from moving. He stared at her with wide eyes, feeling the sweat forming on his forehead and his pants getting tighter as his erection grew in her hand. She smiled and pressed her hand forward, rubbing against him gently to extract a quivering moan out of his lips, despite his effort to keep it inside his throat.

The bold incarnation of his student watched him with great attention as she stroked him through the layers of clothes, her dark and sensual eyes looking straight into his pale ones, defiantly. He let go her jaw to use both of his hands to remove her fingers from between his legs, but she resisted.

Without his hand to keep her head in place, Verica leaned toward him and crushed her mouth on his forcefully, making him gasp in surprise once again, but he kept his mouth shut. Her tongue danced on his lips, trying to make them open as she struggled against his hands to continue her ministration. Her fingers brushed against him as best as she could despite his strong grip and he inevitably opened his mouth in a silent cry when she roughly squeezed her fingers around his length despite the barrier of clothe. Her tongue invaded him, meeting his roughly as he closed his eyes and held his breath. The young woman pulled up and down slowly, making him groan inside her mouth.

Heat washed over the older man as dizziness took over his head. He concentrated all his energy on trying to keep his grip on her wrists, but really it didn't change anything. Even if she was to let go now, it was already too late. Her tongue was hypnotizing him, coaxing him into loosening his grip and letting go. Letting go of her hands, of his principles...of his self-restraint. The excuse of "it's just a dream" was becoming more and more acceptable under her attention, but he refused to acknowledge his own thoughts.

She pulled away from his mouth with a soft moan, attacking his neck and making him shiver. Her warm tongue left a wet trail on his skin up to his ear and kissed it gently. Her tongue rolled on his ear, her breath hot and her mouth making wet noises that filled his mind. His head spun so much and his body felt so tensed and weak...

That was too much. It felt so real, much too real. At least he thought it felt real. It had been years since a woman...or himself, had touched him there. He never had any kind of sexual activities since he was married, which was over 15 years ago...

He was honestly very surprised that his brain still remembered how it felt...

He opened his eyes slowly, looking at her hands down between his legs. The sight made him blush even more than he already was. He looked at her fingers stroking him with a hooded gaze, his lips parted and his breathing heavy as his hands squeezed her wrists weakly; his brain too numbed to give enough strength to his hold. His expression torn in pleasure, despite his effort to repel his desire, and his eyes slipped shut as he bowed his head.

"Stop it..." He whispered, softly, with no real conviction. He had no coherence left in his brain to resist or fight. No matter how hard he tried to think, the feeling of her hand and mouth was all he could focus on.

"Make me." She groaned defiantly in his ear. Her mouth left his ear to suck on his pulse and he felt her lips curve into a smile. Through all the mist in his brain and the lust taking over him, he still couldn't help but ask himself:

"Why the hell am I dreaming of this?" His question came out in a weak whimper, between pants and moans.

"Because you love it." She whispered against his skin between kisses. "This is your dream, you control it. You could make this stop if you really wanted, but you don't." Her other hand pulled his pants down roughly along with his underwear, just enough for her to gain access to his length. His hands still held hers, but it did nothing to hinder her movement.

"You want it. You want me. It's all your mind can think about; me. You want me back, and you want me back now." Her warm and soft hand embraced him and he threw his head back against the wall behind him as he tried to bite back the loud groan threatening to escape his throat, without success. He was panting more heavily with each slow stroke of her hand, making his head spin as he looked at the ceiling with a blurry and unfocused gaze. Her mouth still sucked and kissed his neck tenderly, burning his skin and making him lose his mind completely. She gave a particularly rough stroke that made his hips jerk up into her touch as one of his hand left her wrist to fist in her untied hair, holding for dear life.

"Good God..." He breathed out as he closed his eyes and trusted inside her hand, unable to control himself. He let go of her wrists completely, holding the sheets under him as he groaned and bowed his head. His breathing came out in rasp pants, every time he pushed his length between her fingers. He couldn't believe how real all this felt. The unbearable heat, the overwhelming dizziness, the shivers of pleasure coursing through his body; all of it felt so real...and so fucking good...

"Hey, sleepy head."

Kenneth opened his eyes quickly, sucking in a breath as his eyes focused back to reality. He met Mathias' gaze; crouched beside his bed to be at eye level with him. He looked at him with a worried frown.

"Are you alright?"

Kenneth turned onto his back as he looked up at the roof, trying to control his breathing and push down the heat in his body. "Yeah...I'm ok..."

"You sure?"

'I'm not ok at all...' He thought as he brought both of his hands up to his face, the cold feeling of his palms helping to suppress the heat in his cheeks. He rubbed his face as he kept panting, which did nothing to ease Mathias' worries. Kenneth sighed shakily as he replied.

"Yes, I'm sure...it's nothing, don't worry." He sat up quickly, forcing his brain to get back into reality. "Did I overslept?" he whispered.

"We're meeting with Tomoon in 15 min." Mathias said as he stood, his gaze still full of worry. "Were you having your nightmare?"

"Hum, no..."

"Again? It's strange. Three times in a row without your usual dream. We'll have to look into it later." Mathias said with a concerned expression...

"Y-yeah..."

"Are you sure you're ok? You seem anxious."

"It's nothing." Kenneth lied as he gathered the sheets on his lap to hide his erection. "It was just..."

He paused, trying to come up with a coherent lie under Mathias' studying gaze.

"It was just a...disturbing dream..." He said. In theory it was the truth...

Mathias narrowed his eyes at him, but as he stared at his sweating forehead and his troubled expression, he decided not to push the matter further. For all his great faults, Mathias knew when to shut his mouth.

"I'll wait for you outside." He said with a nod.

Kenneth watched him as he walked to his bed, swallowed what was left of the rum inside his glass and put it down on his nightstand before leaving. Probably his last drink before entering the Shrine. Kenneth hoped he won't be too disagreeable down there. It should be ok, considering that they weren't going to be there for too long anyway.

His heart slowly took back a normal pace as he sat there on his bed and breathed deeply, eyes closed and focusing to bring his blood back in his brain. This was completely ridiculous. Three times in a row he had dreamt of her like this. Although this time it went too far...much too far. No matter if it was a dream or not, it was against...everything he believed in and fundamentally wrong. He felt so dirty. No...more than dirty. He felt perverted, obscene and...so disgusted with himself. He just dreamt about his student forcing herself on him and giving him a handjob for fuck's sake!

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He whispered into his palms, running his hands on his face then in his hair. How many times had he asked himself this question over the last few days?

Maybe he did needed...some kind of release. Maybe he should go to comodo with Mathias...

He slapped himself in the face and scowled at his own thoughts. This was even worst than the dream. He had to get his shit together. He had only himself to blame for all this. He had been able to live all those years without...this. He still could. He needed to get a grip. Those were HIS dream. He controlled them. Having such thoughts was wrong, but having them toward his student was beyond scandalous. He needed those thoughts to stop and fast.

He looked at the clock on the wall. He needed to get ready. He forced himself out of bed and forced Verica's images out of his head as best as he could. He was stronger than that. He was a fucking monk! He was supposed to have his mind and body in perfect harmony, not be the slave of his primal instinct. He had always lived in virtues, had always followed the sacred rules...

Well, except for this...shaddy period of his life he liked to call "the dark years", when Mathias dragged him along in every brothel they stumbled across where he made him drink and smoke and...sniff mushroom spore until he was so high it's a wonder he still remembered any of it. But those times were far behind him. He was young, naive and easily influenced back then. He was no longer a boy and he knew better now. This whole mess was terribly wrong and from now on, he was going to fix it.

He got dressed quickly, with newly found resolve and determined not to let the sexy and erotic incarnation of his student plague his sleep again. Enough was enough. He was the master of his mind and his behavior inside his subconscious was directly linked to his real self. He needed to be as righteous in his head as he was in reality. He needed to come back on the right path.

How was he supposed to face the real Verica again otherwise?

* * *

><p>Mathias sighed deeply as he waited for Kenneth to join him in the cafeteria. He was feeling lightheaded and restless. He had convinced himself that what they were doing was necessary and had to be done. They couldn't keep sitting around and do nothing while they waited for things to happen, like they did. But going down into the Sealed Shrine was still a very stressing idea. He had never been down there. Most people alive now never did.<p>

Every monk of the Abbey was familiar with the history of the five nameless heroes who sacrificed their lives in order to seal Baphomet in the catacombs. Many hundred years ago, the seal weakened and the monks of St. Capitolina called for help to the warriors of Rune Midgard in order to seal him again. The seals of the ancients heroes was renewed by those courageous adventurers, but the head master of the time knew the seal would weaken again. With the help of priests (one of the rare occasion during history where monks and priests worked together) and a sorcerer, they modified the seal. Instead of sealing him away in hell, they changed the seal to make it into a prison. A real prison, within the walls of the Shrine. The pentacles of the five heroes were fortified with magic and they managed to create a seal that would last forever.

The price to pay for this had been terrible though...

With the great demon imprisoned directly into the mortal world, the foul feeling of his dark presence poisoned the Abbey. Every monks and champions living in St. Capitolina became anxious, paranoid and eventually completely crazy as they suddenly had to live with this dark aura everyday. Most fled the Abbey, unable to coexist with this horrible feeling plaguing their mind and most died by their own hands as the simple memory of Baphomet's presence inside their head was too much to live with. This surely contributed to feed the priests' misconceptions and loathing toward monks...

The head master decided to go back in the Sealed Shrine to create a sixth pentacle with his own life. They would use it to contain Baphomet's aura and allow the monks on the surface to feel only a glimpse of it's real darkness. His mind was settled on the matter, but the old champion didn't know how he would react to Baphomet's presence. He brought a high priest, a paladin and the sorcerer who had modified the seal with him. He brought them to help create the pentacle and seal the darkness inside him, but also to make sure he would make it that far. It must have been horrible for him; to go down there and feel the demon's presence up close like this. It is said that the paladin had to restrain the champion half way. He bound him and dragged him to Baphomet's prison, despite his screams of terror and heartrending protest. But they all knew it had to be done and that this was what the man wanted. So they forced him down to the Shrine and sealed him in the sixth pentacle, taking away Baphomet's oppressive aura from the abbey.

A very depressing tale, in Mathias' opinion, but a very important one. He was ashamed to admit that he didn't remember the courageous head master's name. This man was a great hero. Without him, St. Capitolina abbey would be abandoned now, with no monks strong enough to withstand the pressure of Baphomet's presence. He never understood how the nameless heroes managed to seal him the first time. Weren't they being driven mad by the darkness too? Mathias supposed that they were used to it, since back then Baphomet ran free in the human world. When their ancestors changed the seal, no one alive had ever felt the demon's aura. It was probably too much to bear all of a sudden.

Baphomet's presence was still here, but it was greatly reduced. Only champions could feel it and even then they felt only a fraction; the rest of it being sealed forever in the sixth pentacle. However, Mathias knew that his dark energy was still more powerful inside the Shrine. He had no idea how much, but Tomoon assured him that it was tolerable. The broad old man went there once a year to make sure everything was alright with the seals. He had never seen the demon in person, because the prison was hidden in the seal and you had to actually activate it to make him appear. Mathias didn't really understand why anyone would want to do so...well, except for now, apparently.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt anxious and uneasy. He wasn't so sure it was a good idea after all. He wasn't ashamed to say that he was scared. Really he was. His sanity and mental health were not at their best, he knew that. He was slightly afraid of what Baphomet's foul aura might do to his mind. But his reasons to go forced him to brush his fears aside. He was not going to stand by while Kenneth was in danger. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was people messing with his student. Or in this case, demons. No matter what it might take, he was going to do everything in his power to protect him. That alone was a motivation powerful enough to make him look into a demon's eyes without fear, of that he was sure.

His reflections ended abruptly when he saw Kenneth move toward him. A small smiled pulled on his lips when he saw his battle fist tied tightly to his right arm, covering his hand. It had been some time since he had seen Kenneth with a weapon, ready to fight real enemies. It was a welcomed sight. Going into battle with his student was something he missed greatly. Time to see if he still deserved this so called "genius" title.

"Ready?" Mathias asked, keeping his voice low.

Kenneth stared at him with a determined look and nodded, which made Mathias smile even more. For someone who didn't even want to go, he sure seemed ready and full of resolve.

"Alright, let's meet with Tomoon."

The two champions left the sanctuary, sneaking behind the building to meet with their council friend. When Tomoon saw them he nodded and started to walk toward the Abbey, making Kenneth and Mathias follow him with a movement of his hand.

"I arranged things so that Joey was in charge of guarding the Shrine's entrance tonight. As far as I'm concerned, everything should go according to plan." Tomoon said in a low tone.

"Won't it look suspicious that you changed the schedule?" Kenneth asked anxiously. He knew the head master would be fiercely against their plan. It was in everyone's best interest to keep this a secret.

"You mean will it look suspicious to Yolene? Of course it will." The old champion said with a small laugh. "But I changed things at the last minute. Hopefully she's not aware of the change. Hopefully it will stay that way."

"Yeah, because you're in for a lot of trouble if she finds out Tomoon." Mathias remarked with a concerned look. "And me too..."

"I know that Mathias. But I hope we won't come back with empty hands and that it will help us...bargain our fate if she finds out what we did."

"Yeah I hope you're right. I really don't feel like ending up in the hole for a week."

"Yolene is not very fond of the hole. She rarely sends anyone there you know."

"She will if we piss her off hard enough..."

Kenneth shuddered at the mention of the hole. It was a scary place, deep below the Abbey. Even deeper than the Sealed Shrine's entrance. It was a spiral staircase of stone, leading to a dark and humid dungeon with only five cells. There was no light, barely any air, it smelled horrible and...Baphomet's presence was intolerable down there. Apparently it was even worst than inside the shrine; more subtle, yet more maddening. The longer you stayed down there, the more you felt him. It was as if the hole was right beside his prison. No one knew why it was like this, but their ancestors took advantage of it. Mathias and Tomoon were the proof that monks don't always behave like they should, according to authority. They needed a way to punish those who needed to be punished, without being too harsh either. Torture was out of the question and simply leaving a monk inside a cell for days was not really a punishment. They would just sit down and meditate, able to stay there without food or water for at least a week. Monks needed something else in order to be punished...

And so they builded what they all called the hole. Kenneth had been there twice in his entire life. The first time to be shown where he would end up if he didn't behave. Even as a monk, the darkness was overwhelming in his mind. The second was to show Verica, like he had been shown. It was normal procedure, but he had hated doing it. Mainly because going down there as a champion had been horrible; the feeling of Baphomet pushing on his shoulders and pulling his soul out even more. After only 10 minutes he couldn't take it anymore and walked up the stairs in a hurry, telling Verica she'd better never end up down there because he wasn't going to come visit her.

The longer you stayed in the hole, the more you felt Baphomet's presence...he really didn't want to spend a week there.

They arrived at the Abbey and Tomoon took a key out of his pocket to unlock the doors, opening the way slowly and wincing at the way the doors creaked. He stepped inside and nodded to the other two to come in. After he closed the doors and locked them again, he pointed to the stairs leading to the Sealed Shrine's entrance. There'd better get down there as quickly as possible. The council member's rooms were on the second floor, along with Yolene's, but it was no reason to linger here unnecessarily.

The walk to the bottom of the building seemed like an eternity and Mathias really wished he had brought his flask of rum. The deeper they went, the more he felt the demon's presence. It was not a big difference, but a difference nonetheless and it made him wary of how much he would feel it once inside.

"I hate coming here..." Kenneth whispered.

"Tell me about it." Mathias scoffed.

"You get use to it after a while." Tomoon replied. "But I have to admit that it's always...unnerving."

"How is it inside? Do you...feel him more?" The younger man asked, not doing any effort at hiding his concerns.

"Yes, you're going to feel him more. A...lot more." He said hesitantly. "I'm not going to lie, you might panic a little at first. But don't worry. Me and Joey are used to it. We'll help you." He said with as much comfort his old raspy voice could hold.

"Is it like in the hole?" Kenneth continued.

"No. It's different. It's more forceful in the Sealed Shrine. It's like you're washed away by a wave. In the hole, you feel it more the longer you stay there. In the Shrine it's the opposite. It's overwhelming at first, then you get used to it. Well...as much as you can get used to it."

"I really wish I had brought a drink." Mathias chuckled nervously, suddenly feeling very unsure of this plan.

"I knew you'd say that." Tomoon said with a smirk as he reached inside his pocket. He took a small flask out of it and passed it over to Mathias who looked at it with wide eyes.

"W-what-"

"I have a lot of respect for you Mathias. You know that. But let's be realistic; you can be a real pain without your remedy. As much as I don't approve of it and that I'd like to see you get rid of it, now is certainly not a good time to do so." He looked over his shoulder at Mathias. "Baphomet's presence is very nerve-racking. I don't need you breaking down even more because of your lack of alcohol. So just take it and keep it with you. Maybe you won't need it, but I'm sure the only idea of having it in your pocket will be enough to reassure you a bit."

Mathias took the small flask hesitantly and put it in his own pocket, an hint of shame in his eyes. Kenneth stared at him with a concerned gaze, but the old man simply looked away, frowning and obviously having no intention of adding anything to the conversation.

Kenneth sighed and let the matter go. He would very much like to see his old sensei get rid of his addiction too. Because really, that's what it had become. But Tomoon was right. Now was not a good time for it.

They reached the bottom of the stairs after an eternity and entered a bright room where the Sealed Shrine's entrance stood. It was a big coffin tied with chains, with baphomet's image carved on the cover. Seeing it reminded Kenneth of the time he brought Verica down here to pass her last test, many years ago. He smiled lightly at the memory, but the thought of Verica made him think about his dream and he pushed his thoughts aside, before they distracted him too much...

They were welcomed by Joey's unsettling grin and Kenneth couldn't help but wrinkle his nose slightly when he saw him. Why did he have to smile like that? Seriously?

"So you didn't chickened out Kenny?" The blond man teased.

Kenneth looked at Joey unmoved for a second then turned his head toward Tomoon, ignoring the other champion who scoffed and looked away in annoyance.

"How do we get in there?" Kenneth asked.

"First we open this baby."

Tomoon put his hand on the chains and ran his spiritual energy inside it. A loud metallic sound resonated in the room and the chains snapped away from the coffin. Noises of old, rusty mechanics filled their ears as the cover slowly slid off the coffin, revealing a strange circle obviously meant to open a warp portal. Fortunately they were deep underground. Otherwise the noise would have woken up the entire abbey...

"Then we make the connection to the Shrine."

He touched the circle with his finger, making it shine brightly. A white light blinded them for a second and the portal opened inside the coffin, ready to take the adventurous champions into the demon's den.

"It's as simple as that." Tomoon smirked.

"That's all? I thought it would have been more complicated." Kenneth said with a frown.

"It would have been much more complicated without me, I assure you." The old man replied as he tapped his chest with two fingers.

Of course. The coffin was most likely meant to react to his spiritual energy alone. Probably Yolene's too.

"What are we waiting for then!" Joey said joyfully as he jumped on the portal with a chuckle. He was immediately teleported inside the Shrine. Kenneth rolled his eyes at his impatience. Was he really the only one here who had any kind of reserve about this crazy plan?

"Your turn Kenneth." Tomoon said as he nodded his head toward the portal.

The younger man eyed the coffin carefully. He had come this far. It was a bit late to go back. He stepped toward the portal and was about to step inside it when Tomoon's voiced startled him.

"Now try to stay calm when you arrive." He said." Sit down and take deep breaths. But above all, don't try to calm yourself by meditating. It will only be worst. Just sit down and try to stay relaxed."

Kenneth swallowed hard as his foot hesitated to get in the portal. He looked back at Mathias with a worried gaze, seeking some kind of comfort or promise that it was going to be alright. The old man met his gaze and smiled warmly at him.

"Don't worry boy. I'm sure it's not that bad. If that dickhead Joey can do it, so can you, don't you think?"

Kenneth's brow twitched as he snorted, a small smile creeping on his lips. "Reeling me in again old man?"

"Yup. Is it working?" Mathias said with a wide grin.

His student closed his eyes and smirked. "Yeah...it is" He stepped into the portal and disappeared in the white light.

"Ah, Kenneth's pride is as sensitive as always I see. Probably the only trait our students share." Tomoon said with a small chuckle. "Your turn now."

The older champion stared at his friend and froze a moment. Mathias' earlier warm smile and confidence was gone, replaced by a frown. He was biting the inside of his lips and he could see his hand shaking behind his back, obviously trying to hide it.

"It's ok Mathias. You'll see."

"Yeah..." He looked up at Tomoon hesitantly, worry and nervousness evident in his tired eyes. "But what if-"

"Everything will be fine." Tomoon interrupted him. "Don't think so poorly of yourself. I remember a time when you were part of the council and going down there would have been a joke for you."

"Yes...'have been'. Not anymore..." Mathias said, holding his gaze with an unusual seriousness. "I'm not the man I used to be..."

"You're still the same man Mathias. You're too harsh on yourself. Always have been. It's worse now with this addiction of yours." The older man said as he nodded toward Mathias' pocket. "You're stronger than you think you are. Mentally I mean."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Mathias replied with a nervous laugh as he eyed the coffin apprehensively.

Tomoon remained silent for a moment. "...Alright. Maybe I'm not in your head." He looked at the portal and frowned. "But your boy's there already. We're doing this for him. To learn how to protect him from his own fate. You may not be the same man you used to be...but I know there's nothing more important to you than Kenneth."

Mathias looked back at Tomoon, his gaze unreadable all of a sudden. A long silence dragged on between them until he sighed and took a step toward the coffin. "You're right."

"Don't worry Mathias. Everything will be fine." The large man said with a small nod.

And with that Mathias disappeared inside the white light. Tomoon let out a long and deep breath. He had always liked Mathias. He really he did. It was a shame the man had done so many mistakes in his life that seem to eat at him now in his old years. Tomoon didn't know what those mistakes were, nor if they were worth feeling so much guilt for, but honestly it was none of his business.

He put his brain back into work mode and stepped into the portal to join the other champions. They were stepping into enemy territory. There was no more place left for distractions now.

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><p>This chapter is long isn't it? Yeah...not much happens...sorry...just a whole bunch of information. Well, chapters can't be all good now can they?<p> 


	31. 5:A risky choice

This was hard to write. It's awfully long too. Sorry. Hope you'll like it and that you won't mind some inaccuracy with the original RO.

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><p><strong>Chapter 31 A risky choice <strong>

Kenneth let the dizziness of the teleportation subdue before opening his eyes and taking in his surrounding. Through the white light of the portal he saw Joey, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, obviously waiting for him. He looked around to see the old stone walls of the catacombs. The place was lit by strange blue fires and they seemed to emit coldness instead of warmth...but maybe it was just an impression. Although it was very cold and humid and Kenneth felt a shiver run up his spine at the sudden change of temperature.

"Alright Kenny." Joey said as he took a step toward him. "Now, let's do this nice and smooth. Once you step out of the portal, you take a deep breath, you sit down and you try to stay calm."

Kenneth nodded, a little taken aback by Joey's sudden serious behavior. He walked out of the portal and stepped down from the coffin. His feet touched the ground slowly.

Immediately he felt it.

He sucked in a breath as his eyes grew wide, his hands and knees starting to shake all of a sudden.

"Oh my God..." His head spun and he bowed, resting his hands on his knees to support himself. He closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing, but he felt the panic rise inside his chest, no matter how hard he tried to stay calm. The feeling of the demon's energy filled his mind in an instant, pushing on his shoulders and making the air around him so thick it was almost impossible to breath.

Joey was beside him in an instant. "It's ok, just take deep breaths. You should really sit down."

He wasn't going to be told twice. He let himself fall on his rear, quite ungracefully. He put his hand on his chest, trying not to hyperventilate as he felt his spiritual energy shake inside him. He had never felt like this before. He felt like his energy was panicking; moving around in his body in random patterns he was not used to. It was as if his soul was trying to escape him to flee this crushing darkness taking over him. He had felt disoriented and nauseous when he felt Baphomet's presence for the first time after coming back from Juno as a champion...but it was nothing like this.

"Just breath Kenneth."

No matter how many time he said it, it didn't make it easier. It was suffocating and he felt so cold. He shivered from the cool air around him, making it even harder to breath properly. His whole body was tense, his head felt like it was going to explode, his lungs were in panic, unable to work properly and his body seemed so heavy he really felt like he was going to sink in the stone floor. How could Joey endure this so easily? All he wanted to do was get up and step back into the portal, but he honestly wasn't able to get up. When you become a monk, they say you're granted with a natural and holy power against demons, but that you have to pay the price somewhere by feeling the darkness of their energy. This statement had never made so much sense to Kenneth...

He leaned his back on the coffin behind him, his hands on his knees and squeezing them in stress. His chest moved up and down quickly, so quickly it hurt. It felt like he was not breathing at all. Joey crouched down in front of him and rested his hand on his shoulder. He transmitted some of his spiritual energy into Kenneth's body to give him a point of reference among all that darkness suddenly swallowing him.

"Pretty nasty eh?" Joey said with a smirk.

Kenneth looked up at him as he sighed and managed to take a few normal breath. Joey's energy invading his body all of a sudden allowed him to focus back on reality and ease some of his panic. He cleared his throat and focused all his attention on Joey's spiritual energy, trying to calm down.

"I-I don't think 'nasty' is...a word strong en...enough for t-that..." Kenneth replied, his body quivering with stress, fear and cold.

"Don't worry. It will take some time but you'll get use to it."

The white light of the portal flashed, making Mathias appear in the center. He looked down at Kenneth, struggling on the floor and shivering. His expression torn in worry immediately.

"Are you alright Kenneth?"

"Y-yeah..." He groaned. "N-no big de..deal..." he managed a small smile as he gazed up at his teacher.

Mathias returned the smile as he looked at the floor in front of him with apprehension. He slowly stepped out of the coffin, taking a deep breath. His reaction was immediate, and more violent than Kenneth...

He gasped, as if he had just been punched in the stomach. His knees buckled under him and he fell to the ground, leaning of his hands. His eyes squeezed shut and his face contorted in pain as he tried to breath properly. One of his hand raised to his head, the demon's presence invading his mind too quickly and making his energy run wild inside him.

"Holy fuck!" He bowed his head as his hands shook, taking rasp gulp of air and his whole body trembling.

Tomoon appeared a second later, shuddered slightly as he stepped out of the portal and immediately turned his gaze to Mathias. The man on the ground looked up at him with a glare.

"You-... you said it was t-tolerable!" He growled half in pain and annoyance.

"It is."

"Tol-...Tolerable m-my ass!" Mathias yelled as his whole body shuddered, his chest moving up and down quickly.

Tomoon crouched beside him, putting his hand on his shoulder like Joey did to Kenneth.

"Come on now Matt. You've been through worse things. Think of all those hangovers." He said with a small smirk. Kenneth smiled and chuckled lightly at the nickname. No one ever called him Matt. He said it was a name meant only to be moaned by ladies. Stupid old man.

"Fuck you..." Mathias was obviously in no mood to joke. A rare thing for him. He tried to take deep breaths, but like Kenneth, the cold biting his bones was making it even more difficult. He put his hand on his heart as he groaned. "F-fuck... I'm t-too old for this sh-shit. It f... it feels like... I'm g-going to have a... heart attack..."

"Just stay still and try to relax. In a few minutes you'll get use to it." Tomoon said as he squeezed his shoulder.

Mathias bowed until his head touched the ground, his whole body trembling. Kenneth watched him with concern as he tried to keep his own composure. His body shivered so much it hurt. He tried to concentrate on Joey's energy the best he could, not to be completely swallowed and overwhelmed by the darkness of Baphomet's aura. He couldn't even start to imagine how the demon's presence felt after they imprisoned him in the mortal world and before the sixth pentacle was created...

The two champions stayed on the floor for a while, their heavy breathing slowly becoming normal again. Tomoon kept his hand firmly pressed against Mathias' shoulder who was having a harder time than Kenneth.

"Well, at least you didn't throw up." Tomoon said with a smirk as he gazed up at Joey. The younger champion scowled and looked away.

"T-that was because I was way too young when you brought me here the first time!" He defended himself.

"You threw up?" Kenneth asked with a teasing smile.

"I was 16 when he brought me here. I wasn't even a champion yet."

"Then it should have been easier. You feel less when you're a monk-"

"Fuck you Kenneth. I didn't get stab by a girl."

It was Kenneth's turn to scowl, snapping Joey's hand away from his shoulder.

"Say what?! She was a fucking demon!"

"Yeah, but still a girl! You got your ass whipped good by that succubus! And I heard your student beat the crap out of you too before she left. How could you lose against a monk?"

The younger man frowned at the comment, raising his voice. "She didn't beat me, I stopped fighting. I didn't want to hurt her."

"Yeah, me too if I had a cute student like her, I wouldn't want to damage her pretty little face."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kenneth said with an outraged look. What the fuck was wrong with that guy?

"Did she beat her eyelashes at you to distract you? Or were you simply too busy looking at her a-"

He was interrupted by Kenneth's hand grabbing the collar of his coat and pulling him toward him.

"You fu-"

"Alright enough you two!" Tomoon's voice stopped them. Kenneth let go of his collar with a scowl and his jaw clenched.

"No. No, let them continue." Mathias mumbled as he slowly raised his head with a smile, laughing lightly. "It makes me feel better."

"Kss..." Kenneth got up from the ground on wobbly feet and started to walk around, taking deep breaths to fight the dark energy pushing on him, but also the anger rising in his chest.

Joey got up as well and walked to him. "No need to be so touchy Kenny. Can't take a bit of teasing?" He said with his usual grin.

Kenneth spun around, his hand raising to grab his coat once again, but he stopped himself at the last moment. He glared at the blond man and whispered, his face a few inches away from his.

"I don't like what you're insinuating. You say what you want on me, alright? I'm here to defend myself. But insult my girl again, by treating her like some kind of slut waving her ass around, and you're not getting out of here alive."

"Whooo, ok. Calm down. Didn't mean to insult her or anything." Joey said with wide eyes, raising his hands in front of him. "I just always had a hard time taking her seriously. No offense."

"Why? Because she's girl?" Kenneth asked with a frown.

"Because she's such a pretty face." Joey said with a chuckle. Kenneth's eyes widened a moment before he frowned in confusion.

"Say what?"

"I mean that girl is beautiful. Don't tell me you never noticed."

Kenneth stared at him frozen for a few seconds, until his brain processed what he just said. Of course he noticed. He only noticed really recently but of course he did. He noticed way too much. But hearing it from Joey's mouth felt really odd somehow and it made him feel really upset all of a sudden. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the man before him.

"Apparently you did." He mumbled with a glare.

"Eh, now, don't get me wrong Kenny! I swear I'm married to God. And even if I wasn't, I have no interest in a girl 17 years younger than me. I'm just saying she's way too cute for a monk. She has a priest face, you know; with a perfect skin and well kept hair. But I admit I don't really know her that much. And since she beat you, I suppose I have to reconsider my opinion of her, eh?" He said with a smirk.

"If you two are done gossiping we can move on." Tomoon said as he helped Mathias get on his feet.

"Anyway. Sorry I upset you. It was not intentional. Don't take what I say too seriously Kenny. I'm just fooling around." Joey said with a smile as he tapped Kenneth lightly on his arm, already forgetting about their conversation and walking to his sensei.

Kenneth still glared at him, burning a hole in his back with his eyes. He sighed and took a deep breath, trying to pull back this strange irritation inside him. What the fuck was wrong with that guy? And why did he feel so annoyed by the fact that he found Verica pretty? Of course he found her pretty. Which man in their right mind wouldn't? But he still didn't like it. No, he hated it. Just the image of Joey looking at Verica made him want to...punch something really hard. Preferably Joey's face...

It was completely irrational though. Verica was a grown up woman, able to take care of herself and defend her own pride. It was none of his business who looked at her this way or...

He shook his head and scowled at himself before he could continue on this train of thoughts. He'd rather not think about this, for many reasons. The first being that it simply irritated him...greatly. And now was not the time to think about this. The Sealed Shrine was no place to be distracted.

"Are you alright Mathias?" Tomoon asked to his friend, still hunched over and taking deep breaths.

"I suppose..." he grunted as he straightened up. He shivered when Tomoon let go of him, but the shock was passed.

"The worst is behind you now." Joey said with his unsettling grin.

"I doubt that." The dark haired man sighed. "We don't know how our mind will react when we'll make Baphomet appear."

"Always worried about unimportant things Kenny. Relax a bit."Joey laughed as he tapped him on his back. Kenneth turned his head toward him, biting the inside of his lips with a blank face.

"We'll see how unimportant it is if you start throwing up."

"Ah! If I throw up, I don't want to imagine how YOU will react! You'll run away with your tail between your legs like a scared dog."

"It would be the logical thing to do not to get killed." Kenneth replied with a frown. No, he definitely didn't like that guy.

"The logical thing for a pussy."

"The logical thing for someone with a brain. But I suppose you're not familiar with that, Blondy."

Joey scowled at the nickname and was about to reply, but Tomoon interrupted them. "Don't start that here. Focus a bit."

"Daaw, why are you stopping them?" Mathias said with a smirk. "It was getting interesting."

"If you want our students to brawl we can arrange a rooster fight once we're out of here. For the moment let's concentrate on the matter at hand, will you?"

"Fine." Mathias faked to pout, but he couldn't keep his grin away from his face for long. "But I'll keep the rooster fight in mind for later."

"Fine with me! I wouldn't mind kicking your ass. Would be funny." Joey said with a big smirk, raising a brow at Kenneth.

"Funny as hell. Look how I'm laughing." The younger man replied with an annoyed stare as he pointed a finger to his straight face.

"Alright, alright, enough." Tomoon said as he took a step to leave under the amused gaze of Mathias. At least it seemed to distract him from the pressure of Baphomet's presence around them. "Let's go now. Don't wander too far."

Joey bumped Kenneth's shoulder as he followed his sensei, smiling widely as he cracked his fingers. The younger champion took a deep breath to calm his rising annoyance and looked at his own teacher, who was struggling not to burst in laughter. He shook his head and followed behind him. Why did he agree to this again?

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><p>The four monks walked through the labyrinth-like corridors, that all looked the same to Kenneth. They were all the same width, the same dark grey stone, lit with the same strange blue fires. Apparently Tomoon knew his way around, because he had absolutely no hesitation as he navigated through the corridors.<p>

As Kenneth looked around him, he could still see remnants of ancient battles that took place here; grey stone turned black because of the intense fire of a mage's spell, notches of swords carved in the stone forever, broken arrows lying forgotten on the ground and old stains of blood still visible on the walls. So many people had died here back then, before someone finally succeeded in sealing the demon...

He almost bumped into Mathias when he stopped abruptly in front of him. He frowned and looked above the old man's shoulder to see why they were stopping.

He sucked in a breath as he caught sight of a tall woman floating in the air. Her long purple hair danced above her head like a fire and her white torn dress moved as if strong gusts of wind were passing through it. She was turning her back to them, but it wouldn't take long for her to realize she had company.

Great. First monster they see and it has to be a banshee. Fuck. He hated banshees. They were creepy as hell and their scream always made his blood freeze. He hadn't seen a lot of them in his life and he was happy that way. Couldn't it have been a skeleton general instead? Those were less sinister...

"Finally some action." Joey grinned as he took a step toward the creature.

The shadow demon's body tensed and she turned around slowly, her red eyes settling on the blond man walking toward her with a smile. Her body moved slowly, her eyes growing wide the more Joey approached her. She seemed to be shivering, her face contorting in a strange expression no human was able to understand. Kenneth took a deep breath, knowing what was to come.

The banshee opened her mouth and a horrible high pitched scream left her mouth, making Kenneth wince and close his eyes a moment. God he hated this. Joey didn't seem bothered at all though. He simply grinned more as he entered fury state and snapped behind the ghostly woman. Summoning spheres, he used his combo skills to hit the demon quickly and precisely. Right after his chain crush combo he summoned his spheres again and threw them at her as he jumped away to avoid her arm trying to grip him. She screamed, louder and louder, either in pain or anger they couldn't tell. Not that it really mattered.

Tomoon took a battle stance as he turned around.

"Watch out. Her screams will attract other monster's attention." He said quickly.

As he was warning them a lighting bolt flew toward Mathias, who ducked and rolled on the ground to avoid it. He spotted the wind ghost who had thrown it easily and summoned his spheres as he ran toward it, a small smile on his face. A good fight would help distract him from this horrible feeling of darkness pulling at his soul since he entered this damn place.

Tomoon spotted an evil druid from the corner of his eyes, turning the corner to his left. The monster saw him too and floated toward the old champion. Tomoon summoned spirit spheres and threw them at the ugly creature before jumping to the side to avoid the spikes of a heaven drive under his feet. He reached the evil druid quickly and punched it, sending it flying away on the wall.

Other monsters arrived. Flame skulls and skeleton general ran to them, and to their doom. Joey took care of his banshee and turned around, but not in time to avoid the arrow an archer skeleton sent his way. He got it right in his shoulder and winced, more from annoyance than real pain. Taking it out quickly and ignoring the blood staining his coat, he threw the arrow on the ground with a scowl. He snapped to the general and started fighting him and his slaves.

The monsters were easily defeated. Mathias broke a flame skull on the ground with his foot before rolling his shoulders in satisfaction. He turned toward Tomoon with a smile to see him finish off another skeleton general and then checked on Joey, who was cracking his fingers in pride as he healed himself. Well, that was strangely easy. He thought there would have been more monsters than that but... where was Kenneth?

The old monk's body froze as he turned his head around, looking for his student in panic. He was nowhere to be seen...where the fuck was that brat?!

"Where's Kenneth?!" He asked, trying to keep the panic from showing in his voice but not really succeeding.

The two other champions looked around, coming to the same conclusion that their friend was not here anymore.

"What the...he was here a few minutes ago." Tomoon said with a frown.

Mathias looked around again, feeling his heart beating more quickly in his chest. But then his eyes settled on a dead mimic farther down the corridor near to a corner. He didn't remember killing that thing...

The high pitched scream of a banshee startled the three monks. It was coming from the other corridor. They all rushed forward, Mathias first. He stopped in his track once he turned the corner, making Joey bump into him from the sudden halt. The blond man's eyes widened in bemusement at the sight.

The corridor was filled with corpses of monsters. Evil druids, khalitzburg, zombie masters, skeleton generals and ancient mimics. At the end of the corridor, Kenneth stood in front of an half-dead banshee, delivering the final blow to her abdomen with a palm push strike and sending her crashing on the opposite wall. He exhaled deeply as he flexed his fingers under his battle fist, looking around at his handy work and catching his breath.

"You can't be serious..." Joey whispered.

That bastard had killed even more monsters than all three of them together in the same amount of time. No wonder he thought there weren't a lot of creatures, Kenneth got them all before they could reach them...

The black haired man turned his head toward his companions, his pale blue eyes settling on Joey's stunned expression, but paying no attention to it.

"You're slow." He yelled across the distance as he turned around. A flame skull appear around the corner and flew toward him. He grabbed it roughly and crashed it on the wall beside him, the skull exploding and disappearing in smoke. Kenneth healed the burn on his hand and kept walking with a sigh. He hated this place so much. Better get this over with quickly.

Joey scowled as he followed him with heavy steps. "Fucking show off..." He muttered under his breath.

Mathias snorted as he started walking through the dead monsters who were already starting to disappear.

"Seems like your pride is not misplaced Mathias." Tomoon whispered as he walked pass him, an hint of amazement still lingering in his eyes.

"Yeah, well, I like to think that it's at least a little bit thanks to me if he's so strong." He replied with a small chuckle. He was happy to see that Kenneth was still in good shape and still the same worthy pupil he once had under his proud wing. He may not have been a very good role model for the boy, but at least he made him into a powerful monk. Probably the only thing he did right in his life...

Other monsters attacked them along the way, but they were easily defeated as they worked together to be efficient. Joey still tried to show off and push Kenneth into some kind of monster killing competition, but the younger man simply ignored him, much to Joey's annoyance.

* * *

><p>They reached their destination and stepped into the portal that would lead them to the second floor. The feeling of Baphomet's presence pushed on their shoulders a little more the moment they arrived there. They all stepped away from the portal, all taking a deep breath to calm their anxiety. Even Joey shuddered from the difference. Mathias looked around nervously, his hand pressed against his bottle in his pocket. With each step he took, he could feel him more in his head...<p>

They finally entered the main room where a large podium with small stairs stood in the middle. Four column with blue-purple fire circled it and big statues of old hooded monks watched over the place. On the podium was carved a pentacle, where the demon had been sealed the first and second time...and where his prison lay now. Tomoon moved to the podium and walked up the small stairs, with no hint of fear in his movement. Kenneth wasn't sure whether he should be impressed by this display of confidence or simply worried...

The three champions followed behind him but stayed away from the podium, without a word. The pressure was unbearable and Kenneth really had to fight against his own will not to start running in the opposite direction. This place was not meant for humans...

"This is our last chance to back off." Mathias whispered, eyeing the seal in the middle of the room with apprehension.

"We've come this far." Tomoon replied as he crouched in front of the carving. "As you said, as long as he's in his prison, he can't do anything. Don't be so dramatic. If we can't handle it, we just have to leave. It's simple and safe."

"Safe." Kenneth repeated with a snort. "This is everything but safe. We're in a demon's den."

"A prison." The old man corrected. "He's inside the prison, we're outside. There's nothing to worry about."

"Yeah..." Mathias said as he rubbed the nape of his neck. "Nothing to worry about..."

Kenneth was expecting a sassy remark from Joey any second now. But it never came. He glanced at the blond man beside him curiously, his eyes settling on the small bead of sweat on his forehead and the way his jaw was clenched. Seems like he wasn't so confident anymore...

"Alright. Let's do this." Tomoon reached for the carved pentacle on the ground with his hand. His fingers touched the circle and a bright purple light poured out of the carvings.

Tomoon walked down the stairs quickly, getting away from the seal that was activating Baphomet's prison. The other champions behind him all held their breath without even realizing it. Mathias' hand shook in his pocket as he watched the light getting brighter and higher. The ground shook under their feet as the fires quivered like wind was passing through them. The air shifted, the temperature dropping and a sudden pressure getting on their shoulders, like gravity had suddenly changed. A column of purple light appeared on the seal and black smoke started to form inside it. The foul feeling coming out of it was unmistakable...

The dark mass grew and crashed on the ground, a loud thud resonating in their ears as the column of light vanished. Only the carvings on the ground still glowed a pale purple light. Kenneth saw Joey take a step back beside him and he honestly was very tempted to do the same. He wanted to take a lot of steps back actually. But his muscles wouldn't listen to him. He felt completely frozen, unable to move just a finger or simply blink. The feeling of Baphomet's aura washed over him, making him swallow hard as the panic rose in his chest again. He took deep breaths, trying stay on his feet...

Mathias closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he reached for his flask of rum in his pocket with shaking fingers. The dark mass slowly grew, taking the form of the demon on the podium. He didn't want to look. He just wanted to turn around and leave. He brought the bottle to his lips and took a small sip of his liquor, unable to drink more because of the way his throat was so tight. He honestly didn't think it would be that bad. It was still possible to just close everything and walk back to the surface...that's what they should do. Coming here was not a good idea...

But as he ruminated through his thoughts, he heard Kenneth exhale deeply beside him. He glanced at his student, his bottle of liquor trembling in his hand. The boy looked as terrified as him. But as he looked at him, he remembered more clearly why they had come here in the first place. They needed answers. Answers, or at least clues, about what to do with this stupid prophecy poisoning his life...

He looked down at his bottle briefly and put it back in his pocket before gazing up at the dark and unclear form of Baphomet still growing inside the seal. They had come this far; it was not to run away like little girls at the last minute...

The black smoke took the shape of the demon completely, crouched on the ground. Colors slowly appeared on him as they saw one of his hand raise in the air. A scythe appeared in his claws and a loud, low growl made the four champions jump in surprise. The demon leaned on his scythe to get up and he rose slowly, the ground shaking when his hoofs settled on the stone floor. A raspy breathing filled their ears and the beast shook, hunched over and his head bowed.

Then he opened his red eyes, filled with hatred and malice, and he screamed.

The worst scream Kenneth had ever heard in his life.

It filled his brain completely, making him close his eyes and clench his jaw. His fists tightened beside him, feeling his heart beat in his ears loudly and the air vibrating around him because of the demon's voice. His three companions reacted roughly the same way. Even Tomoon took a step back and looked away, hissing in pain as Baphomet's cry shook him to the bone.

His scream transformed into a growl as his eyes settled on the monks before him. He narrowed his eyes at them, black smoke coming out of his mouth and his hand gripping his scythe tightly. Kenneth was the first to open his eyes. His gaze met his and his blood froze in his vein. He felt like the demon could see into his very soul with those red eyes of his. See things inside him even he couldn't see; his forgotten secrets, his deepest fears and his most repressed desires. He felt naked and exposed, but he didn't look away. He kept staring at him, unable to tear his gaze from the creature.

Then the demon started laughing.

A deep sinister laugh. The kind of laugh only a demon could make. The four monks looked at the beast with apprehension and devoid of any kind of confidence they might have had before. This was probably the stupidest idea they'd ever had...

The demon slowly stopped laughing, looking at the champions like they were all just a big joke.

"What a pleasant surprise." His deep voice resonated in the room.

Kenneth felt Joey take another step back behind him. He could feel the anxiety in the room, covering them like a blanket. Baphomet's presence was overwhelming and numbing their senses, making them feel dizzy and nauseous. But they had come this far; they couldn't just run away now and waste all their efforts...

Baphomet bent over, resting his weight on his scythe. He smiled widely at the men and chuckled. "It has been a while since I felt so much fear around me."

No one replied. They all stared at him, unable to think straight and act, which made the demon laugh even more. He raised his scythe and moved it forward, the blade hitting an invisible wall in front of him and making him wrinkle his muzzle. Apparently Mathias was right. As long as they stayed out of the pentacle, he could do nothing to them...

It was still incredibly stressing.

The beast locked his gaze on Kenneth and chuckled lightly. "I thought you would be older."

The younger man's eyes widen at the comment, as well as Mathias' who turned toward him. Was he referring to the prophecy? It meant that he knew...and that they could learn something...

"Sorry to disappoint you..." Kenneth whispered, amazed at the way his voice barely shook.

The demon laughed at his reply. "I like your sense of humor human." He bent over even more to look at him more closely. "Have you come here to kill me, chosen one?" He said the last words with a sarcastic laugh.

"That will depend on you..."

Kenneth's voice came out darker than he intended and calmer than he thought possible. Tomoon looked at him with wide eyes, surprised by the way he talked back to the demon with such ease. Mathias had the same bemusement on his features as he stared at his student. How could he even speak, let alone make sassy replies with this beast's attention locked on him?

Joey was simply staring up at the demon, trying not to throw up.

Baphomet stared at the young champion for a short moment before he started laughing again.

"So much confidence. And how shall I behave, if I don't want to taste the fury of your fists?" He chuckled, mockery evident in his deep voice.

"Just answer my questions." Kenneth replied, his fear and anxiety slowly slipping away. The pressure in the air was still unbearable, but somehow he didn't feel as anxious as earlier. Maybe he was getting used to it.

"Is that all? You woke me up to ask me questions? I killed people for less than that."

"I don't think you ever needed a reason to kill anyone."

The demon laughed again. "I like you human. Yes. I like you. Come closer." He motioned him with his finger. "I want to see you."

Kenneth swallowed cautiously as he stared back into the demon's eyes. He should have stayed where he was. He should have been too scared to move a muscle. But against his good sense and logic, he moved toward the seal.

Mathias wanted to put his hand on his shoulder and stop him. This was definitely not a good idea. But his arm didn't listen to him, neither did his voice. His fingers barely twitched and he simply exhaled deeply. He just let him walk toward the demon, unable to do anything against it, no matter how hard he tried to react. He was simply frozen in place, kept in position by the pressure around him.

Kenneth walked up the stairs and stopped on the last one, looking up at the demon with a frown. The tall beast crouched, getting at eye level with the young champion as he grinned widely.

"A courageous little man we have here indeed."

"You can't do anything from inside this prison. I'm not scared of you." Kenneth replied. He honestly wasn't scared. He felt crushed and oppressed by the darkness of his aura...but not scared. He couldn't understand why, but he didn't care. Right now he just wanted to make this beast talk...

"Really? Well, your friends seem to disagree with you." Baphomet said as he looked over the man's shoulder.

Kenneth turned around to see Tomoon, Joey and Mathias all frozen in place, looking at the demon with wide eyes and their body tense in stress and fear. He met Mathias' fearful gaze and it made him uneasy. Was it really that bad? He didn't think so. Why was he feeling so calm all of a sudden? A few minutes ago he was on the verge of running away without a second thought. Why was he so confident now?

"Seems like there is some truth to the prophecy after all. You are special in a certain way I suppose." The demon said, which made Kenneth look back at him.

"How do you know I'm the one from the prophecy?" Kenneth asked with a frown.

"I don't. I'm guessing. You do look like the man the prophecy depicts...but maybe it is not you." He whispered with a grin. "Maybe he is not born yet. Maybe he never will. Maybe all this is just a big joke." He laughed.

"Trying to plant the seed of doubt in my mind? Not working." Kenneth scoffed. "What do you know about the prophecy exactly?"

"I know it says that a man in this era will kill one of the three Great Demon." Baphomet said calmly as he straightened up. "The Great Demon who will run free."

"Planning on breaking your seal anytime soon?" Kenneth asked with a small smirk. The more he talked with the demon, the more he felt at ease. His voice and dark presence didn't shake him like it did earlier. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not.

Baphomet chuckled at the question. "Why should I answer you?" He said with narrowed eyes, returning Kenneth's smirk.

"So you do." Kenneth replied, his smile widening.

"I never said that."

"You refuse to answer. I know you don't care about your brothers. If it was one of them, you wouldn't mind telling me. Either it's not you and you simply don't know who it is, or it's you and you're covering your ass." Kenneth said, pointing a finger at the demon who laughed again.

"A smart deduction. You want the truth? No, I don't intend to break free, nor do I have any kind of plan to so so. And to be perfectly honest, I don't believe in this so called prophecy."

Kenneth frowned at the demon. "How can you not believe in it? Isn't it a demonic prophecy? You don't believe in the divination of your own people?"

"Prophecies are not always true. I have lived long enough to see millions of prophecies. Some came true, others didn't. And as I see you now, I highly doubt you would be able to kill one of us. That is, if you really are the one." Baphomet laughed.

"Oh really?" Kenneth chuckled and narrowed his eyes, the little monster of pride inside him raising his head at the sudden attack on his ego.

Mathias sucked in a breath at what he heard. This was not good. Baphomet was playing with him. He had to do something or Kenneth would walk right in the trap. He didn't know how though, since Baphomet had no power from where he was.

"You're courageous, I'll give you that. But in my opinion, your courage is simply misplaced stupidity." Baphomet said, narrowing his eyes at the young man.

"Want to test it?" Kenneth said as he took a step forward, walking on top of the podium and stopping right in front of the pentacle.

The moment he moved, Baphomet tensed and took a step back...

Mathias' gasped silently at the sight before narrowing his eyes. Was he...afraid of him?

Kenneth's eyes widen too, then he smiled darkly at the demon backing away from him.

"You say you don't believe in the prophecy, nor that I'm the chosen one, yet I frighten you." He said as he pointed his finger at the beast, his hand entering his prison and making Mathias hiss in apprehension behind him. "You're scared I'll kill you."

Baphomet glared at him for a moment before he chuckled lightly and looked away. "Well, I would rather not take any chances."

"If you're not the Great Demon who'll break free from the prophecy, do you know who is?" Kenneth asked.

"I know who believes in it...and who is more likely to try and exploit it or prevent it." He said in a low tone.

"Who?"

They stared at each other for a moment. A small smile slowly pulled on Baphomet's lips.

"It would be awfully boring to simply tell you, don't you think?" He snorted.

"I don't bargain with demons." Kenneth scowled.

"I'm not asking for much human. I'm simply curious to know if you really are as courageous as you pretend."

"What do you mean?"

Baphomet took a few steps back, retreating to the back of his invisible cell. "Let's make a deal you and me. A small bet."

Kenneth could almost feel Tomoon's stare of disapproval on his back. "What bet?"

"Prove me that you are not scared." The demon said with a smile. "Step into my seal. Face me as an equal, on the same ground as me."

Kenneth's body tensed at the proposal. This was too dangerous. He could feel the disapprobation of Mathias and Tomoon behind him. He was about to reply, but the demon didn't let him.

"I honestly don't think you are the chosen one, human." He chuckled. "You lack something. You would never be able to defeat one of us. Not like the prophecy foretells. You're just a boy, playing heroes."

Kenneth snorted lightly at the demon's words. "If it's not me, why am I being attacked by demons and haunted by nightmares? Why all this? Just coincidences? You're trying to reassure yourself, Baphomet. You're afraid I'm going to kick your demon's ass and kill you for good." He spat, feeling his pride struggling against its leash to break free and prove to that demon he was wrong.

"Then prove me you are not just all words, champion." Baphomet grinned. "Step into my prison. Show me how courageous you really are. Then I will acknowledge you... and tell you what I know."

Pale blue eyes stared into red ones for a long moment in uncertainty. This was madness, too dangerous. It had to be a trap, a trickery. This was not a good idea...

But what if it really wasn't a ruse? What if he just had to step in there to know which demon was going to break his seal, how to prevent it and what choices he had to make in order to succeed? What if this was one of the choices? The prophecy said that the right path will seem like the wrong...maybe it was time to take some risk and have faith in himself...

Kenneth smirked at the demon. "Alright." He heard Mathias gasped behind him. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Kenneth don't!" Mathias called after his student as he took a step toward the seal, Tomoon moving forward as well in order to stop the younger man. The impendent danger forced them out of their fear and torpor. Even Joey sucked in a breath and moved toward the podium.

But it was already too late. Kenneth took a step forward, passing through the invisible wall and into the demon's seal. He inhaled deeply and glared at the demon with defiance, his body overwhelmed by adrenaline standing right in front of the tall demon.

Baphomet stared down at him impassive for a moment, then smiled.

"I admit; I was not expecting you to do it. I truly am impressed..." The beast whispered.

"I stand in front of you with no fear." Kenneth spat as he pointed a finger at the demon. "Now speak, or I'll make you." He threatened. He wasn't sure he really would be able to fight him. But maybe he could play on his fear of him.

The demon started laughing again, hitting the floor with the handle of his scythe. "It is as I said, human. Your courage is simply misplaced stupidity..."

Baphomet chuckled and his body transformed into a mass of black smoke in a fraction of a second, making Kenneth gasp in surprise. He took a step back, but he was still inside the seal. He had no time to react before the demon charged at him, hitting him violently in the chest and sending him crashing into the wall at the end of the room behind the other champions. He groaned in pain and fell on his stomach on the stone floor, the mass of smoke nowhere to be seen.

"Kenneth!" Mathias rushed to him. Joey tried to followed him, but Tomoon put his hand on his chest to stop him as he eyed Kenneth with apprehension.

Mathias crouched beside his student and helped him stand on his hands and knees. The younger man coughed and took rasp gulp of air as his teacher checked his chest to make sure he wasn't hurt.

"Are you alright?!" He asked in panic.

"Y-yeah..." Kenneth replied raucously as he coughed again. He opened his eyes slowly and moaned in pain, rubbing his chest. "Fuck that hurt..."

"What the hell happened?!" Joey asked, staring at Kenneth with bemusement. The younger champion sat on his legs and sighed.

"I don't know." He coughed again. "Maybe he ju-"

Kenneth's eyes grew wide all of a sudden as he stopped breathing, as if he had just received a hit in the guts.

"Kenneth? What's wrong?"

He didn't reply. One of his hand went to his abdomen and the other on the ground to support himself. He stared at the stone floor with wide eyes, his mouth open as if he was about to throw up. He frowned as he groaned loudly and closed in eyes under the alarmed gaze of Mathias.

"Kenneth!"

"Mathias, get away from him..." Tomoon ordered from behind him.

"What are you saying?" He yelled back.

"Mathias don't fuck around! Get away from him now!"

Kenneth grunted as he bend over, resting on his elbow and his forehead almost touching the ground. He moaned in pain as his whole body shook and his hands fisted. Mathias put his hand on his back in panic, his own throat and chest tightening in stress.

"Kenneth, look at me! What's wrong?" Deep inside he suspected what was wrong. But he didn't want admit it.

Kenneth's hand shot up, trying to hold onto something as he kept moaning and panting. Mathias took his hand into his, holding it firmly as his heart beat angrily in his chest. Fuck no. This was not really happening. It was impossible. Baphomet didn't have the capacity to do this...there was another explanation...

"...S...sen..." Kenneth tried to speak, but his voice came out hoarse and barely audible. Mathias still understood his title though and he bowed his head toward his student to listen to his faint voice, trying in vain to deny the obvious. "I-It...it b-...b-burns..." He moaned between two harsh pants before hitting the ground with his fist in pain.

Mathias started at his student with wide eyes, unable to think or to move. He simply held his hand and panicked, oblivious to Tomoon' voice behind him screaming for him to step back. Black smoke started to come out of Kenneth's body and his grip on Mathiad' hand was becoming inhuman. A loud groan escaped his throat that transformed into a harrowing scream as he let go of his teacher's hand.

"Mathias get the fuck away from him now!"

The old man ignored his friend again as he squeezed Kenneth's shoulder, not knowing what else to do and his brain unable to work properly as his scream tore at his heart. But Kenneth pushed his hand away from him forcefully.

"G...get away..." He whispered between rasp pants.

"Kenneth..." Mathis tried again to touch him, but the younger man grabbed his coat and pushed him away with a grunt.

Tomoon ran to Mathias and forced him to move away from Kenneth, who put his hand on his head and rocked back and forth on the ground. The three other champions stared at him with wide eyes until he screamed one last time and straightened up violently, throwing his head back with both hands on his head. His scream was long and painful, his face contorting in pain and his fingers pulling on his hair. Black smoke faintly came out of his mouth and they could clearly see his veins under his skin, as if his blood had turned black.

He bowed and threw both of his fists on the ground, one last groan escaping his mouth before he exhaled deeply and became silent. His body smoked and shook slightly as he stayed there sitting on his legs, arms limp on each side of him and head bowed. His breathing was slow and quivering...

The three monks looked at him, not daring to move a muscle. But Mathias' worries overcame his fear and he managed to find his voice as he took a small step toward his student.

"...Kenneth?" He whispered cautiously.

The old man received a dark chuckle in response. It seemed to come from Kenneth, it was clearly his voice, but it was in a tone Mathias had never heard him use...

"No matter how many years pass, you never learn..." Kenneth said slowly, his voice more hoarse than usual.

He raised his head sluggishly, his eyes closed and his lips parted. They could still see his veins clearly like faded ink on his skin and his lips were dry.

Then he opened his eyes to gaze at the champions before him. Mathias let a whimper leave his lips as his expression torn in distress. Joey took a step back and Tomoon frowned intensely at the young man kneeled before them...

Kenneth's eyes glowed red, with no pupil of iris. They were just two deep pool of inhuman bitterness and hate. He stared at the men with his mouth opened and his gaze hooded before smiling. A twisted and dark smile Mathias had never seen on his student's features. The young man started laughing as he flexed his fingers and slipped his eyes shut. He moaned, almost in pleasure, as he cracked his neck.

"Foolish humans..." Kenneth started as he looked back at the monks with his devilish smile, his eyes full of animalistic hunger and demonic madness. "You are making this so easy..."

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><p>Ouch. That chapter was long isn't it? sorry, but I really wanted it to end like this and I didn't have enough to make two interesting chapters. Hope it wasn't too heavy to read. And it was hard to describe a RO fight, while making it realistic at the same time. That's why I didn't give too much importance to it. It was not what was important here anyway. Or at least that's how I saw it.<p>

Lots of things in this doesn't fit with the RO we all know, but I thought I would exploit the fact that they are in the future. Let me know what you think.

And for those of you worried about Verica, don't worry we'll see her again in a few chapters :P


	32. 5:Trauma

Another random title -_- anyone has any suggestion? I'm willing to change it XD

So...you're still reading this? wow...thank you :)

And sorry for horrible editing. I don't really have as much time as I would like to edit...

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><p><strong>Chapter 32 Trauma<strong>

This was not possible...

Mathias stared at his student in confusion and fear. His brain tried in vain to deny what he was seeing, seeking another explanation. His heart hadn't beat so fast in years and he could feel the sweat sliding down his spine under his coat. As he watched the twisted smile dancing on Kenneth's lips, his red eyes, the black smoke coming out of his body and the dark vein clearly visible on his skin, he had no other choice but to acknowledge the hideous truth...

Kenneth slowly got up, his arms limp on each side of him and his head bowed as he kept laughing quietly. He got to his feet clumsily, stretching his back as if he had been trapped in a crouched position for hundred of years and moaning in pleasure when it cracked. He sighed in satisfaction as he rolled his head and stretched his arms in front of him.

"Is what happened...what I think happened?" Joey whispered, his eyes locked on the unsettling smile he had never seen before on Kenneth's lips.

"Yes..." Tomoon whispered back. "Baphomet got out of his seal...and..."

"Baphomet doesn't have the ability to possess humans..." Mathias stated, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Apparently he does..." His friend replied, frowning at Kenneth intensely.

"I've never needed to do it before." Kenneth said, startling the monks in front of him. He watched them carefully with a grin. It took a lot of will for Mathias to keep looking at him with this strange expression on his features. This was clearly not Kenneth...

"Why would a great demon like me..." He continued, his gaze drifting to his hand as he flexed his fingers. "...need to possess a weaker creature like this? No reasons. Until now." He concluded with a deep chuckle.

Mathias closed his eyes a moment and bit his lips, finding it hard to breath all of a sudden. There was no way to deny it now. Kenneth...really was possessed. No humans had ever been possessed by a great demon before. Was it even possible to survive to this?

"I honestly didn't think I was the great demon from the prophecy." Baphomet said through Kenneth as he looked down at his body, his hand moving over his chest and abdomen as if he was inspecting himself. "But...apparently I was. And your 'chosen one' proved to be a simple human. As stupid as all the others." He continued as he looked back at the champions, his grin still in place. "You came here hoping to discover information about the prophecy and accomplish it?" He bowed and laughed his deep demon laugh, making Mathias' blood freeze in his vein. Kenneth gazed up again with a dark smile. "You ended up triggering what you were trying to prevent."

"You're not free yet." Tomoon spat as he summoned spheres and entered fury state in a split second, snapping behind Kenneth. He slipped his arms under his, grabbing his shoulders, and kicked his knees to make him kneel. The young man offered no resistance and let himself fall on the ground, his smile still in place and laughing quietly.

Mathias stared at the ground with a frown. This was not how it was supposed to go. It didn't make sense at all. Where was the defeated army? The missing soldier? What was the link with Verica? The second chance? None of this mess made any sense. Did they really fucked up that much?

"Mathias!"

The old man snapped out of his panicked thoughts to look at Tomoon in confusion.

"Don't just stand there! Get that bastard out of him now!"

Mathias looked down at Kenneth, who stared back at him with his twisted smile. He took a step toward him and swallowed hard.

"I doubt it will work Tomoon..."

"It's worth trying."

"Yes old man. It's worth trying." Kenneth chuckled.

Mathias stood in front of his possessed student and tried to keep his hands from shaking. The way he looked at him made him very uneasy. And the way he didn't try to free himself told him it was probably useless to try to exorcise him. But he tried anyway...

He put his hand on his forehead and closed his eyes, running his spiritual energy inside Kenneth's head to force the demon out.

A chill run up his spine and Baphomet's dark energy overwhelmed his mind in an instant. He gasped in pain as the panic rose in his chest, removing his hand from his forehead as if he'd just been burned. Smoke rose from his red hand and he realized he had actually really been burned slightly. Kenneth laughed again, almost to the point of crying.

"You think you can kick me out like a normal demon? Even if you succeeded, all that would be left of this man is a soulless body. No human mind can withstand this. Your friend is already gone." He said as he kept laughing in Tomoon's grip. Mathias refused to acknowledge the demon's words, but deep inside he feared it was the truth...

"Foolish creatures. Do you even realize the gravity of your actions?" Kenneth stopped laughing and whispered darkly, glaring at the old champion before him. "I've been inside that prison for hundreds and hundreds of years. I don't intend to go back..."

The young champion threw his head back, hitting Tomoon's forehead with force and making him lose his grip. Kenneth leaned on his hands and kicked the old man's stomach, stretching his leg behind him. Tomoon gasped and closed his eyes in pain as he was thrown to the wall, the stone cracking under the blow.

It all happened so quickly; Mathias barely had the time to blink before Kenneth got up and jumped on him. He forced him to the ground and sat on his stomach, catching his forehead with his hand to hit his head on the floor before catching his coat and throwing his fist at his face. The old man's vision flashed; the beast's strength flowing through Kenneth's blow was too much for him and almost made him lose consciousness.

Joey threw spirit spheres at the younger champion, but he ducked to avoid them, his smirk still in place. He got to his feet and ran to the blond man, laughing in delight as he made use of his new body. Joey exchanged punches and kicks with him for a short moment, but he found himself unable to follow with his inhuman speed. He got hit in the stomach, making him lose his breath. Kenneth grabbed his throat and pushed him to the ground with force, still laughing like a madman. Blood came out of Joey's mouth in a dry cough as he crashed on the stone floor, which cracked under the pressure. He felt Kenneth's hand slip away from his throat, leaving him breathless and in pain on the ground.

Kenneth turned just in time to avoid a blow from Tomoon, who had recovered from the previous hit. He managed to land three successful punches on the possessed champion and used his combo skills, not caring if he was hurting Kenneth's body in the process. Kenneth rolled to the side to dodge the chain crush combo and threw his fist at the old man's temple, making him stagger, disoriented for a moment.

Mathias got to his feet clumsily as he watched Kenneth jump away from Tomoon. Fuck they messed up so much. How could they stop him now? Was it still possible to save Kenneth? He desperately clung to the idea. There had to be a way. Surely his mind was still there...

'Think old man...'

He didn't have time to think much when he saw Kenneth grin darkly and raise his hand in the hair. Mathias heard the sound of electricity above him and he looked up in panic. His eyes widened and he saw the mass of electricity on the roof. Lord of Vermillion. Seems like Baphomet could still use his spells even in Kenneth's body.

"Tomoon!"

The man looked up and gasped. He jumped away just in time to avoid the first set of thunderstrike coming down at him. 4 set of 10 strikes hit the ground around the old monk. He managed to avoid most of them but the last hit him, making his body spasm in pain as the electricity coursed through his body. He went down to his hands and knees, trembling and gasping for air.

Mathias had no time to join his friend as Kenneth appeared in front of him, his twisted grin mocking him and his eyes challenging him. A powerful hit on his abdomen made him bent over and gasp as Kenneth laughed above him. He pushed his old teacher to the ground and looked behind him at Joey who had gotten to his feet and was healing his sensei. He took a few steps back from Mathias who glanced up at him, his vision blurry and having difficulty to breathe properly. He saw Kenneth's gaze drift to one of the entrance...

...Shit.

"He's going to leave the shrine!" Mathias yelled as he tried to stand, but fell back to one knee.

Tomoon and Joey looked up at Kenneth who smiled at them. He bowed politely to the two monks and laughed before sprinting to the exit.

"Fuck!" Tomoon forced himself up, ignoring the pain and going after him, Joey on his steps. They couldn't let him escape. If he left the Sealed Shrine the consequences would be terrible.

Kenneth turned the corner, heading for the corridor that led to the portal. He was too fast for Tomoon who struggled only to stay on his feet and Joey whose head still spun from the last blow.

Mathias took a deep breath and got to his feet, looking at the wall where Tomoon crashed on earlier. He acted quickly, without thinking twice about his actions. In battle, that's what often made the difference between life and death; being able to take the right decision on a whim. He entered fury state and summoned his spheres as he ran to the wall. He held his breath and took his wrist in his hand, casting asura strike in order break the stone wall before him. The corridors outside circled the main room and the one leading to the portal was right behind that wall. Time for an improvised shortcut.

His hand shook with the pressure of his spell and he threw his fist at the wall. The stones exploded under the blow, dust rising from the ground and the other walls shaking as the loud thud of asura strike resonated in the room. His body felt weak and his head spun for a short moment as all his spiritual energy was stripped from him. He wouldn't be able to fight Kenneth properly, but he could restrain him and make it easier for Tomoon and Joey.

The new improvised entrance let Mathias see the portal at the end of the corridor in front of him. He looked down at the rumbles and smiled lightly when he saw Kenneth under the stones, coughing and slowly trying to get up. Perfect timing. He saw Tomoon and Joey running toward him from the corner of his eyes as Kenneth looked up at him. He was not smiling anymore. His eyes glowed with anger and blood streamed down his temple from a wound a stone had made.

He looked back at the portal and tried to run toward it again, ignoring Mathias. The old champion reacted quickly, jumping on his student and restraining him on the ground. Kenneth struggled under him and growled.

"Hurry up!" He yelled to Tomoon and Joey. He wouldn't be able to keep him there for long. The demon was much stronger physically than Kenneth was alone.

His companions didn't have time to reach him before Kenneth managed to straighten up, despite Mathias' weight on him. He swung his elbow behind him, hitting his teacher in the ribs twice before catching his arms and his coat to topple the old man above him. Mathias landed on his back in front of Kenneth, the rumbles on the floor poking at his back painfully. The young man didn't waste more time with him as his eyes settled on the portal once again. He looked to the side briefly at the other champions and got up, running through the corridor as fast as he could.

Tomoon passed Mathias and chased after Kenneth as Joey stopped to help the old man get to his feet. Tomoon was about to use snap to teleport in front of Kenneth, but before he could use it, the dark haired man stopped on his own...

"W-what?" Kenneth's eyes widened in surprise.

Tomoon stopped in his track too and frowned. Why was he stopping? Was it a trick? He was very tempted to run to him and neutralize him while he was immobile, but something made him wary of the situation. Why was he stopping all of a sudden? It was too easy...

Mathias and Joey ran to join Tomoon and stared in confusion at Kenneth. He was frozen in place and struggling to get one of his foot in the air to keep running, but it was glued to the floor. Kenneth scowled as he looked down, trying with all his strength to keep moving but unable. He fell to one knee and gasped, closing his eyes as he groaned.

"H-how is that...possible?" He said between rasp pants as his body shook. His other knee hit the ground as he leaned on his hands. "You s-sh...should be... d-dead..."

Mathias' eyes widened as he whispered in hope. "Kenneth?"

He took a small step toward his possessed student but Tomoon stopped him.

"Wait. It's a trick. He just wants us to approach him with our guard down to kill us."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Mathias replied angrily, a small sparkle of hope growing inside him. "He's barely a few meters away from the exit! Why would he stop now?"

"What? You think Kenneth is taking over? You're the one being ridiculous!"

Kenneth's raspy voice echoed through the corridor in a harrowing scream. He struggled on the ground, as if someone was keeping him in place there. He managed to crawl forward a few feet, his eyes locked on the portal up ahead, before his body froze again. Kenneth's voice transformed into an animalistic growl and he threw his fist to the ground in anger.

"It's impossible!"

That was clearly Baphomet's voice...

Mathias snapped Tomoon's hand away from him and took the few steps separating him from Kenneth. He crouched hesitantly beside him as he watched his student squirming and hissing in pain. He tilted his head to try to look at his face.

"Kenneth?" He whispered again.

The young man in question opened his red eyes and his head snapped to the side to look at his master. Their gaze met and Mathias moved back a little, scared by all the hatred directed at him. He could almost feel the anger and spite radiating around the black haired man, thick and suffocating. He didn't have much time to think about it as Kenneth's hand shot up, trying to grab his throat and glaring at the old man. He gasped in surprise and moved away, Tomoon and Joey taking a step to neutralize the man on the ground.

But his hand stopped inches away from Mathias. It shook and twitched, but it didn't move. Kenneth stared at his hand with wide eyes for a moment, so did Mathias, before scowling and gritting his teeth in anger. He tried in vain to move his arm, but it was completely frozen in place. He moaned and closed his eyes, his hand moving down as if someone had slapped it away. His hand went back below him to support himself on the ground and he coughed, as if he was trying to get something out of his mouth. He went down to his elbow, head bowed with his hair brushing the floor and his hands fisted tightly. His moans changed from animalistic to human every second, but no matter how he wailed, it was obviously in pain.

Mathias looked briefly at his older friend. "Kenneth is still there..." He whispered, eyes shining with hope. "We can still save him."

"Mathias...I don't think this is-"

"Kenneth! I know you can hear me. I know you're still there." The old monk ignored Tomoon as he put his hand on his student's back. His voice was full of panic and his hand shook despite his effort to remain calm.

Kenneth's hand moved up to his sensei, grabbing his coat roughly and fisting in his collar. Mathias grabbed his hand in his own and squeezed it tightly, as if somehow it was going to make his pain go away. The young man took a few rasp breath before raising his head to look up at Mathias. His eyes were still red and smoke still came out of his mouth...but his expression was not the same. This was Kenneth, Mathias was sure, and he seemed in so much pain...

"Kenneth..."

"K-k..." He tried to speak but his voice was too shaken by his trembling body and his erratic breathing. He squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head again, crying out in pain as he gripped Mathias' hand as hard as he could.

"Sensei..." Joey whispered behind Tomoon. "We...we'll have to-"

"I know..." Tomoon looked down at Mathias and called his name, but the old man didn't hear him.

Mathias moved to Kenneth's front, moving his hand to his forehead. If he was fighting the demon back, maybe he could help...

But the moment he transferred some of what little energy he had recovered, the same feeling of panic and darkness took over his mind again, forcing him to let go...

"Shit..." His brain was overheating. He had to think and fast. There had to be a way...

"M-M...Math-"

"It's ok..." Mathias said as he tried to think. "Just hang on...I'll find a way..."

"No..."

Kenneth looked up at his teacher with a painful frown and his jaw clenched. He pulled on his hand to make him move closer to him, which Mathias did. Once he was close enough Kenneth whispered, as loud as he could managed:

"K-kill me..."

Mathias' head moved away, his heart skipping a beat and a very uncomfortable lump growing in his throat.

"T-there's another way Kenneth, we-"

"KILL ME!" He screamed, staring up at Mathias with angry eyes. He panted heavily as he tried to speak between moans. "I-I...I can't...it hu-urts...too m-much..." He coughed loudly as he closed his eyes again. His hand let go of Mathias' and raised to his head, his face contorting in pain under his teacher's frozen expression. He kept coughing, until blood splashed on the ground and on Mathias' knees...

"Mathias..." Tomoon tried again to catch his attention, but the champion simply stared at Kenneth, having ears for nothing else but his student's moan of pain.

"I won't...be a-..." Kenneth tried again to speak through the blood in his mouth. "...able to f-...fight m-much...l-long-ger... K-...kill m-e..."

Deep down, Mathias knew it was the right thing to do. It was a miracle Kenneth had been able to take over like this, at the last moment, before he could reach the portal. There was no way he would be able to hold indefinitely. Baphomet couldn't be allowed to leave this shrine, no matter what, and he was unable to exorcise him...

A flash of white caught his attention and he raised his head to look at Tomoon. The white light surrounded by smoke of asura strike glowed in his hand. The older man took a few steps toward Kenneth and kneeled behind him, putting one hand on his shoulder and the other in the air, ready to punch through the young man's back. Mathias' brain stopped working completely and he yelled in panic.

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

"He's suffering Mathias." Tomoon said as he looked up. "And we both know it has to be done. Once he's dead, Baphomet will have no choice but to come out and he'll be weakened. Then we'll seal him agai-"

"You can't seriously think I'l-"

"Mathias!" Tomoon scowled, his grave voice filling the corridor. His eyes softened before he continued in a lower tone. "I'm not asking you to do it yourself..."

"Fuck you! You wouldn't say that if it was Joey!"

"I would do exactly the same thing if it was Joey." Tomoon replied quickly. "Because that's what has to be done...and he knows it."

Joey stared at Mathias with pity. True, if it was him at Kenneth's place, he knew his teacher wouldn't hesitate to kill him. And he was right. That's what being a monk meant. There was no other solution. He felt sorry for Mathias, but Kenneth brought it on himself...

Mathias stared at his friend in the eyes for a long moment, not knowing what to do or what to say and ideas battling each other in his head. He looked down at his student, wailing in pain and struggling against his own body on the ground...

He looked away and fought back the lump in his throat.

"Move aside Mathias..." Tomoon whispered as he stared at Kenneth's back, not daring to look at his friend right now.

Mathias found it incredibly hard to breath as he got up and moved to his right, facing the wall and turning his back on his student for a moment. He took a deep breath before turning around to look at what he never thought he would see. He fought the tears threatening to flow out of his eyes with all the discipline and control a champion had as his hands fisted on each side of him. His body shook and his lungs felt like they were going to explode.

He saw Tomoon take a deep breath and move his fist behind him, aiming for Kenneth's heart...

He saw Kenneth look up briefly with a pained expression, gritting his teeth and fighting against the demon inside him before he closed his eyes, acceptance clearly showing on his features through the pain...

Everything seemed to play in slow motion as Mathias tried to breath properly, but found himself completely unable. He saw Tomoon's hand moved back slightly only to swing forward quickly and violently toward Kenneth...

"Wait!"

Mathias went to his knees and caught Tomoon's arm before it could touch Kenneth, panting and his eyes wide. He felt like throwing up, his body was wobbly and his head spun.

"I can't let you..."

Tomoon looked up at Mathias with pity as he sighed. "Mathias..."

"You don't understand..." The old man whispered as he looked back at Tomoon, putting more pressure on his arm to force him to move it away. "I can't..." the lump in his throat shook his voice and he swallowed it. He looked down and closed his eyes, his hands shaking on Tomoon's arm. "He's everything to me..." He whispered weakly.

"...I know Mathias." The older man said in sympathy. "I know, but..."

"I can't let you do this." Mathias shook his head as he let go of Tomoon's arm and put his hand on Kenneth's back. "I can't. He...he can survive. There's another way. I won't...I won't let you..." His breathing was completely out of control and his mind on the verge of hysteria as he looked at his student. "I won't let him die as long as I still breathe."

No fucking way this boy was going to die before him. That's not how life worked...

Mathias repressed his panic and cleared in mind as his expression changed from fear and distress to determination. He shoved Tomoon aside and caught Kenneth from under his arms, forcing him to straighten up despite his protest. Mathias looked behind him at Joey, ignoring the pity filled gaze of Tomoon on him.

"Don't just fucking stand there and help me." He spat to Joey, who immediately looked at his own sensei to know what to do. Tomoon closed his eyes and sighed, the white light of his asura strike disappearing.

"Are you deaf or simply stupid?" Mathias said as he dragged Kenneth on the floor toward the main room. "Help me get him to the seal."

Joey glanced at Tomoon one last time, but when he saw the old man wasn't protesting, he walked to Mathias and helped him drag Kenneth away.

They passed through the hole in the wall and dragged the young man up the small stairs to the pentacle. He trashed his feet around and tried to get away from their grip as he moaned loudly, his features torn in agony. They forced him up to his knees at the edge of the seal, with only his legs out of the carved pentacle.

"Hold him." Mathias ordered to Joey as he moved to Kenneth's front and crouched. The blond man kept Kenneth to his knees, his arms under his and his chest pressed on his back to trap him there.

Tomoon followed them and stared at Mathias with a frown.

"Mathias, whatever you're trying to do, you know it's not going to work."

"Shut up Tomoon. If you don't help me at least don't piss me off with your useless comment." The old man replied coldly.

Tomoon sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. Fuck this was messed up. He knew how much Kenneth was important to Mathias. Really he understood. But he had to understand as well that there was nothing more they could do. It was unbelievable Kenneth was still alive. But it was foolish to hope for more...

"What are you going do to Mathias?" Joey asked with a frown, struggling to keep Kenneth in place.

"I'm not going to do anything..." He replied. "It's almost impossible that Kenneth managed to take over his body like he did. If he managed to do this...maybe he can push him out too."

"Are you serious?!" Tomoon said with a shocked expression. He sighed and shook his head. "Mathias, I understand you want to save him, really I do. But please be rational! What you're saying is impossible!"

"You said it was impossible for him to take over, yet he did! Baphomet said it was impossible for him to still be alive, yet he is!" Mathias yelled back as he got up to glare at Tomoon.

"This is asking way too much from him Mathias! There's no way he can do this. Even if he succeeds, he'll never be the same after that. The pain he's going through right now...we can't even begin to imagine it. Going through a self-exorcism is traumatizing and almost impossible even with a normal demon. I don't even want to think about what it implies to kick a great demon out! It will break his mind! It's-"

"I'm willing to take the risk!" Mathias interrupted him as he walked up to him with heavy steps, catching the collar of his coat roughly. "If there's a chance for him to survive this, I'll hold on to that chance. I'll never forgive myself if we kill him while there was another solution!" He pushed Tomoon away with a scowl and walked back to the pentacle, kneeling before Kenneth. His heart beat so fast and his mind felt so fuzzy. If this didn't work...it had to work. He would...he would not survive if this didn't work...

Tomoon rubbed his head as he walked around in exasperation, not knowing what to do. Finally he sighed and walked beside Joey, catching one of Kenneth's arm to help keep him in place.

"Alright." He sighed again. "But if he shows any signs of losing control again, I'm killing him Mathias; whether you like it or not."

"You won't need to..." the old monk whispered as he glanced up at Kenneth's torn expression. He took his face between his hands, forcing him to look at him. "Kenneth?"

His red eyes snapped open and he glared at the man before him, a deep roar leaving his throat that quickly transformed into a distressed cry as he closed his eyes again.

"You're stronger than that boy..." Mathias continued in an overbearing voice, staring at his student intensely and keeping his head in place as his whole body squirmed in Joey and Tomoon's grip. "You resisted this far, don't stop there. I know you can hear me. I know you can still fight."

Kenneth groaned and struggled violently to get away from the men trapping him. He moved his head around, trying to free himself from Mathias' hold, but the old man wasn't having any of it. Kenneth's expression changed from unbearable pain to distress as he tried to speak, his eyes still closed.

"I-it...ju-...gaah!" He threw his head back violently, leaving his teacher's grip and forcing the two men behind him to hold him more tightly.

"Don't stop fighting!" Mathias encouraged him, clinging desperately to this last little hope they had. "I know it hurts, but-"

"N-no...y-you don't...kn-know..." Kenneth growled through clenched teeth. The black veins on his skin looked like they were going to burst and his whole body smoked. His labored breathing filled the room along with his cries of pain. A choked sob left his throat and a small tear streamed down his cheek, making Mathias' heart sink in his chest. "K-kill me...Pleas-se..." He pleaded, another tear falling on the stone floor as he half moaned, half weeped.

Mathias almost looked away from the sight, but he forced himself to keep looking and frowned at his student. "I'm sorry. Call me selfish if you want, but I'm not letting you die here. You're stronger than that. I know you are. You can do this, I know you can. Don't surrender to him."

Kenneth's reply was simply another moan. Tears started falling down his face in a steady flow, his features contorting in distress and suffering ungracefully as he sobbed through moans of pain.

"Mathias..." Tomoon tried again to bring him back to reason, troubled at seeing Kenneth cry like this. "He's agonizing..."

"I don't give a fuck if he's suffering!" Mathias snapped. Of course that was a lie. It tore at his heart to see him like this. But seeing him lifeless would tear at his heart even more. He looked back at Kenneth and caught his collar with both hands, moving his face inches away from his. "I taught you better than that you damn brat!"

Joey closed his eyes in unease. He had never seen Mathias like this...nor had he ever seen Kenneth cry. This was simply too much to watch, knowing that it was all pointless. Kenneth was simply suffering for nothing, just to feed Mathias' useless hope. It would be better to end it all now...

But he didn't want to be the one to do it either... nor to force Mathias to accept it.

Kenneth bowed his head, his tears falling of Mathias' hands. His whole body was tensed and his eyes were squeezed shut as he whispered incomprehensible words that sounded a lot like death wishes to Tomoon's ear. He knew Mathias heard it too, but the old man seemed unable to acknowledge it.

"What kind of champion are you? What kind of fucking genius are you? Is that really what humanity has to rely on for his survival? A fucking crybaby unable to hold his ground?! You're a freaking holy executioner! You took the abbey's oath! You vowed to never let evil win as long as your breathed! You're still breathing! So don't just stand there crying and get that bastard out of you!"

Kenneth kept sobbing and panting, but he opened his eyes slightly to look at Mathias. His gaze was full of pain and desperate...but he stared back at his sensei intensely through his tears. His breathing calmed down ever so slightly as he frowned.

"You're stronger than that." Mathias whispered, holding his crimson gaze. "I know it. You know it too. You...you have important things to do in the future... a destiny to accomplish. You have a fucking great demon to kill! A prophecy to fulfill! And no one else but you can do it! I know you're the one the prophecy talks about! You're the one demons fear! You can't die here! You can't lose against him now! Keep fighting!"

The young man breathed heavily as Mathias' words sank in, but the pain he was experiencing was simply too much and Baphomet's dark energy was slowly numbing his mind.

"I-... I can't-..." He said with his raspy broken voice, sweat mixing with his tears on his face.

"Yes you can...you can and you will." Mathias had a moment of hesitation before he continued. "What will I say to Verica if she comes back only to find your grave?"

Kenneth's eyes widen as he looked up at him and stopped breathing for a second. Mathias tried to smile at the reaction, but he was too panicked for that, so he simply put his hand on Kenneth's head and kept talking.

"Don't you want to see your girl become a champion? Don't you want to see her again? You can't die here! She... you'll kill her if you die here. Don't do this to her. Don't do this to us." His voice shook painfully as he held back his tears. "Don't make me tell her that her sensei died...because he lost to a fucking demon!"

Kenneth squeezed his eyes shut firmly and groaned as his body shivered. He bowed his head and cried out, his hands fisting tightly and his body struggling against Tomoon and Joey. He stayed like this a long moment, trying to catch his breath between moans and harsh whimpers.

Then he opened his eyes with difficulty and glanced up, pale blue eyes full of resolve locking on Mathias', whose heart skipped a beat.

"Yes! That's it!" He smiled and almost laughed in joy as he clasped his hands down on Kenneth's shoulder. "You're doing great. Don't stop there. I know you can do this!"

"That's impossible..." Tomoon murmured in bemusement.

Their surprise had to be forgotten quickly as Kenneth moved violently in their grip, forcing them to hold him down with more strength. The young man arched his back and bit his lips to the point of making them bleed. His body trembled violently as his arms shook because of the way he was struggling against himself. He let out a long shaky groan as he bent forward once more, frowning and his jaw clenched. Mathias kept his hands firmly pressed on his shoulder, praying with all his might to God to please help him. Please let him live.

He tried to put a hand on his forehead and help him kick the demon out, but even in this state, the dark energy still made it impossible for Mathias to enter his head. He was alone...but he could do it...he had to...

"Prove to that demon that you're not just any random human..." He whispered, not even hearing himself because of the way his heart beat in his ear.

Kenneth moaned deeply as his body smoked more and more. His forehead almost touched the floor and the black veins on his arms were starting to fade. He raised his head slightly, prying one eye open as he whispered through clenched teeth.

"M-move..."

Mathias wasn't going to be told twice.

He got to his feet and stepped out of the seal, standing beside Tomoon who was still completely shocked by what he was seeing...

Kenneth glared in front of him, sweat falling from his face unto the floor. He breathed heavily and quickly through his teeth, hissing in pain and frowning as the black streams faded from his body completely. He took a deep quivering breath before breathing out painfully.

"G-get... the fuck... OUT!"

He arched his back violently, collapsing with Tomoon and Joey behind him who had to steady themselves not to fall. The black smoke surrounding his body was blown away from him, as if taken away by a strong gust of wind. He opened his eyes wide and screamed in agony as his body spasmed in pain and shock, before his eyes rolled back and his body went numb.

The black smoke hit the ground inside the pentacle with a loud thud and Baphomet's inhuman scream filled the room. His unclear shape formed in the smoke and his red eyes glared at the champions. An arm shot out of the dark mass and flew toward Kenneth in anger.

"Get away!" Mathias yelled as he grabbed Kenneth and all three champions pulled the young man away from the seal before the demon could grab him. Baphomet's hand collapsed with the invisible wall as the smoke dissipated and he stood in his cell once again. His scythe appeared in his hand and he swung it at the walls, roaring in anger.

Tomoon and Joey stared up at the demon as they let go of the breath they had been holding, sitting on the ground and trying to calm their crazy heart. Mathias kept his hold on Kenneth and dragged him away from the podium, leaving him on his stomach as he went to his knees and tried to catch his breath, not fully realizing what just happened yet.

He saw his student move from the corner of his eyes and he quickly turned toward him. Kenneth's body was shaking as he struggled simply to support himself on his arms. His gaze was out of focus, staring at the stone floor as he coughed.

"Kenneth! Are you alright?!" It felt like such a stupid question to ask...

The younger monk didn't reply as his body spasmed and his hands trembled on the floor. He stood on his elbows and sat on his bent leg, the other lying limply on the floor beside him. He looked completely disoriented and in shock. He coughed and choked before closing his eyes and throwing up in front of him, bile mixed with blood staining the stone under him. Saliva and blood dripped from his mouth as he sucked in a breath and tried to breathe normally, but his lungs were in panic, hyperventilating. Mathias watched him with concern and tried to touch him, but Kenneth moved away with a small whimper, confused and unstable on his shaky arms.

"Kenneth..." The old man followed him and took him in his arm, in panic. His body spasmed and he moaned faintly. He seemed so lost, not really aware of what was going on around him as he looked into space. His lips quivered with his shaky and erratic breathing and his gaze was hooded, disconnected and unfocused...

"Kenneth, say something..." Mathias pleaded as he bent down to make him look at him, without success. The younger man simply ignored him, shaking and mumbling unintelligible words between rasp pants.

Fear took hold of Mathias' heart as he realized exactly what they had just done. God they messed up so much. Kenneth was still alive...but was he still there? The more he looked into his empty eyes... the less he thought so...

Baphomet kept screaming and thrashing around in his invisible cell, making Tomoon and Joey tremble in fear. The walls were shaking around them and the air felt thick with his dark presence. They needed to leave, now.

Tomoon got up and helped Joey get to his feet too. "Let's get out of here." He mumbled. The blond man immediately ran toward the exit through the hole in the wall.

The old champion ran to Mathias and Kenneth, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We have to leave!" He screamed to make sure he would hear him through the horrible cry of Baphomet behind him.

Mathias nodded and looked back to Kenneth. "Can you stand?" He asked, as if the younger man was able to hear him. Obviously he wasn't.

Tomoon scowled and took him from Mathias' arms, shoving him on his shoulder and motioning the other man to follow him. "We don't have time for this. Let's get the fuck out of this hellish place!"

Mathias glanced briefly at the demon and decided that leaving now was indeed a good idea.

Joey stopped just in front of the portal and waited for the others. Tomoon arrived first, Kenneth secured on his shoulders and he jumped into the portal quickly.

"Hurry up Mathias!" Joey yelled, eager to leave this place as he fought back the urge to throw up and faint from all that pressure around him and the ringing in his ears.

Mathias stepped into the portal, without a second thought about looking back. He arrived to the first floor on the Sealed Shrine, Joey following a second later. The three champions ran through the corridors, ignoring completely the monsters attacking them. They did their best to dodge the spells and arrows thrown at them, their hearts beating angrily and having no coherent thoughts in their brain except "run for the exit". Actually there was no real danger, since Baphomet was back into his prison and it would be deactivated automatically after a while. At the back of his head Mathias knew this, but the panic didn't let him reach this part of his brain. He just wanted to get out, stop feeling his dark presence and breathe for real once again.

They arrived to the portal and they all stepped into it without ceremony, eager to go back to the surface. The feeling of the demon's energy vanished in an instant the moment they were teleported and made them feel dizzy from the sudden lack of pressure, as if their shoulder was lighter all of a sudden. Tomoon stepped down the coffin first and set Kenneth down on the ground before falling on his rear, the adrenaline washing over him and numbing his mind as he suddenly relaxed. Joey went to his knees and closed his eyes, catching his breath and not believing what had just happened.

Mathias' gaze drifted to Kenneth immediately.

He had eyes and ears for nothing else as he walked up to him and kneeled behind his head, pulling him into his laps. The old monk was out of breath and he felt tingling everywhere in his body, but all his mind could think about, now that they were out of this horrible place, was the half-conscious man laying on the ground. Kenneth's hollow gaze and the way his body spasmed, a small whimper leaving his lips every time, made his heart sank in his chest.

And as the three champions tried to collect themselves, they didn't notice the other people's presence in the room.

"I do hope you have a pretty damn good explanation for this..." A deep and obviously upset feminine voice made them all look up and jump in their skin. Tomoon's breath caught in his lungs and he froze completely, already feeling the reproaches falling on his shoulders as he looked up at the stern looking woman standing in front of the stairs. Moohae and Touha stood beside her, looking at him in incomprehension and accusation...

Tomoon sighed and bowed his head in shame, his chest feeling tighter all of a sudden and stress taking over his body where adrenaline was only a few seconds ago...

"Shit..."

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><p>Thank you very much for still following me in this crazy adventure.<p> 


	33. 5:Consequences

Let me see... good god it's been more than a month O_o I am so sorry. I'm afraid real life caught up with me for the past month. Semester's end and all.

Sorry Scarlett if I scared you XDD There's no way I'm abandoning this fic, don't you worry :P Although it may take a VERY long time before I finish it, I will NOT abandon it :P my updates will just... be more erratic XD

And I'm so sorry this chap is sooo long again, 8k, I'm sorry, I don't know why my chaps always end up longer than I want XD Not sure how it came out... kind of a boring chapter really and it was hard to write :/ but it had to be done. And I didn't edit this as much as I would have liked... I hope it's not too bad.

and yet another horrible title. Yes, I'm going to say it on every fucking chapter, I do wat I wantz.

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><p><strong>Chapter 33 Consequences <strong>

A cold bead of sweat ran down Tomoon's spine as his throat constricted painfully and his eyes drifted to the floor. But even without eye contact, Yolene's gaze still burned him with accusation and made him want to disappear. His ears were ringing and his breathing sounded so loud it was all he could hear. The tension in the room was unbearable, even after being in the Sealed Shrine.

"What have you done? What happened to him?" Touha's gaze settled on Kenneth and her expression torn in worry. She forgot all about the other persons in the room and walk toward the young man on the ground, crouching beside him in panic. She started examining him and paid no attention to Tomoon's attempt to justify himself.

"We didn't mean for it to-"

"I'm not interested in lies and excuses Tomoon." Yolene cut him off, which made the old man stop and look down again. He heard Joey swallow hard beside him, neither of them daring to look at the head master.

"What happened to him!" Touha asked one more as she looked up at Mathias.

"We messed up..." Was all he was able to reply, in a whisper.

"What do you mean?" The younger woman frowned at him as her hand rested on Kenneth's chest, feeling his heart beating ridiculously fast.

Yolene sighed sharply and her hand squeezed her crossed arm as she glared at Tomoon. "Why are you always involved in fucked up shit..."

The room went silent as all gazes were locked on Yolene's clenched jaw and her brows twitching. She seemed on the verge of bursting in anger and putting them all of the verge of death. But after taking a long and deep breath, she locked her eyes on the young man laying on the floor and whispered softly.

"One thing at a time. Tell us what happened."

Again, no one dared to speak. No one dared to admit what they had almost unleashed. Touha was casting heal on Kenneth and trying to see what was wrong with him. But no matter how she healed him, the damages were not physicals...

"I want answers now." Yolene repeated as she eyed the three guilty men in the room. Tomoon looked up shyly as he tried again to explain.

"I'm sorry Master-"

"I want facts, not excuses Tomoon."

The old man swallowed before continuing. "After what happened to Carly, we wanted to do something about it. We didn't want to let something like this happen again if we could avoid it by understand this...prophecy Moohae told us about the first time. We thought we could go down there and somehow learn something about this whole mess..."

"You wanted to ask questions to a Great Demon?" Yolene half laughed with a frown. "How could you even think this was a good idea?"

"Baphomet is sealed. We knew he could do nothing to us. But... his presence was more to withstand than what I had anticipated. None of us were able to speak, except Kenneth..."

Yolene took a sharp breath once again and looked up at the ceiling as she closed her eyes, not really listening to Tomoon anymore. "I can't believe you did this..." She glared down at the man and pointed a finger at him. "Was this your idea?"

"...Yes." He admitted.

"Then you and I will have a very lengthy discussion." She turned toward Joey. "Oh and you too. Don't think you can escape the consequences of your actions just because it was under your teacher's orders." Joey simply nodded quickly and closed his eyes in a wince.

"And you..." She turned toward Mathias, her features softening ever so slightly. But this was no time for softness. "I highly doubt Tomoon came up with this on his own Mathias. I never thought you would go that far. Do you think I'm just all talk? You think my authority and will means nothing? You think you're allowed to do anything you want? I've got some news for you old man. This will not go unpunished. You crossed a line."

Mathias didn't react to her words. He kept his head bowed and paid no attention to her. It should have angered her even more, but as her eyes settled on Kenneth, she sighed deeply and decided to handle things differently.

"But first thing first. I need to know what happened to him. So you're going to tell me why your student is in such a state right now." Again, the old man offered no reaction. Yolene looked back at Tomoon and Joey with a glare, her patience getting thin. "Tomoon. What happened to him?"

He took a deep breath and looked away, rubbing his hand over his mouth and trying to find a nice way to explain what happened. The silence was heavy as everyone waited for an answer. Moohae was looking at Mathias with a deep worried frown; the expression on his friend's features telling him that something had gone terribly wrong.

"Mathias...what happened?" He asked with a confused expression. The bald man gazed up at him slowly with a defeated look, his hands fisted in Kenneth's coat.

"We..."

"Kenneth got inside the seal." Joey interrupted the old man, looking up at the head master. "Baphomet asked him to walk in the pentacle and he did..."

"He what?" Yolene's gaze snapped back to Kenneth in disbelief.

"They talked. About the prophecy. Baphomet said he would help him if he proved he was not scared..." Joey explained as he looked at the floor again, his stress making him speak quickly. "Kenneth stepped into the seal and B-" He stopped and took a moment to glance at Kenneth before closing his eyes. Shame of what they had done washed over him, as well as his own guilt toward his inability to stop Kenneth when it was the time to act. "Baphomet possessed him..."

The three council members gasped in surprise and worry as all their gaze drifted to the broken man resting on the ground and they all took a small step back in fear. Touha interrupted her healing spell to back off, staring at Kenneth's tormented expression with fear.

"Baphomet can't possess humans..." Moohae whispered as he looked back at Joey.

"He does." Mathias' weak voice filled the room as no one else talked. He stared down at his student's face as he tried to stay conscious. His head spun so much, all this felt like a dream. A horrible dream he wanted to wake up from. "We saw him do it. We saw Baphomet take over his body and mind to escape the shrine. He almost succeeded, but Kenneth resisted and stopped him at the last moment. We saw him fight for control over his own body..." His voice broke and he closed his eyes a moment. His head spun so much. "We saw him suffer...and cry. We heard him plead for us to end it..."

Mathias looked up slowly, his gaze settling on Yolene's and his expression torn in sorrow and pain. "I heard my own student plead for me to kill him..."

Yolene took a few steps toward her old friend, standing behind Touha. She looked at Mathias with all the care and compassion she had inside her, but it didn't reach him as his sadness blinded him. He made a small sound, that looked half like a snort, half like a whimper, as he looked down at Kenneth. He put one hand on his forehead, brushing his hair away and feeling his body trembling under his other hand resting on his chest. As he looked up at the head master again with a broken expression of resignation, he whispered softly.

"No matter what punishment you give me, I can't be punished more that this..."

The old woman closed her eyes, unable to hold Mathias' gaze, and bowed her head as silence pervaded the room. Only the weak whimpers escaping Kenneth's lips and the low noise the portal was making behind them could be heard. Tomoon hung his head with a sigh, guilt washing over him as he took a better look at Mathias' student. He looked so broken. His eyes completely out of focus stared at the ceiling through half-closed lid. His chest was moving up and down quickly with his erratic breathing, as if he was still trying to expel the demon from his mind. His whole body quivered slightly, spasms shaking him more violently now and then and his lips trembling every time he breathed out. He looked sick, exhausted and... mad.

Yolene looked up at Kenneth and tried to speak despite her tight throat. "I'm sorry Mathias..." But the old man didn't reply, nor did he seem to even hear her.

"How is this even possible?" Moohae asked as he frowned at the younger man on the floor. "How did you get Baphomet out of him? How can he still be alive?"

"Kenneth resisted. "Tomoon replied. "He forced Baphomet out of his body. On his own."

Another silence filled the room, but this time it was a silence of disbelief. Moohae shook his head and snorted.

"Baphomet's presence got the better of your mind Tomoon. Do you even realize what you're saying."

"Oh believe me I know what I'm saying!" The man replied sharply as he looked up with a glare. He leaned on the coffin behind him to get up on wobbly feet, his body feeling weak and tired. He walked toward Moohae with a scowl. "I saw it happen Moohae. I saw it. I saw Baphomet fully controlling him and then all of a sudden stopping right in front of the portal, unable to move anymore. I saw the him cry and plead for death, the pain he was experiencing too much for him to withstand. And when I thought he was going to break..." He laughed and rubbed his head with his hand, looking away and shaking his head in disbelief. Even he had trouble believing it, and he was there.

"I saw him force the demon out of his own mind. I saw Baphomet being thrown out of his body with my own eyes. It is hard to believe... it is almost impossible to believe. But it happened. And Kenneth is still alive." Tomoon turned toward the black haired man and signed. "Or at least his body is..."

"I see..." Touha looked down at Kenneth with compassion. "I understand why he's like this then."

"Baphomet possessed him... and he exorcized himself?" Yolene repeated in confusion. When Tomoon nodded, she gasped softly and put her hand in front of her mouth, having trouble believing it. After a short moment, she looked down at Touha with a pleading gaze. "Can't you do anything for him?"

"I don't know..." She replied, subtly looking up at Mathias. "His lungs were damaged a little, but other than that his body is fine, unlike Carly's. No human has ever been possessed by a Great Demon. Both his body and mind shouldn't have been able to withstand this. He shouldn't be alive..."

Yolene hung her head in surrender. How did it come to this?

"But..." Touha looked behind her at the head master. "If he survived, who knows what else he can do."

"...What do you mean?" Yolene kneeled beside her, Mathias looking up slightly as he heard Touha's words.

"He forced Baphomet out by himself. He did it alone and survived. This is... an impossible feat." She looked back at Kenneth and moved Mathias' hand away from his forehead, replacing it with her own. "He's in shock right now. This kind of trauma... I have no idea the extent of the damages it did on his mind. He may never come to his sense, or if he does, never be himself again. It should be impossible for him to recover from this. But... as I said, it was impossible for him to survive in the first place. So honestly, I have no idea what Kenneth can do or not anymore..."

"Can we help him?" Mathias asked eagerly to the younger woman. She looked at him sadly as she sighed.

"I can give him something to sleep. Other than that...we'll have to wait and see what happens when he wakes up. If he wakes up that is."

"But you think it's possible?" The older man insisted.

"I'm starting to think anything is possible with him." She replied with a small smile. "I don't want to give you false hope Mathias, but honestly I have no idea. Maybe it's possible. I really don't know. I'm sorry..."

Yolene got to her feet and turned toward Joey. "Help Touha bring him to the sanctuary Joey. You and I will talk later."

"Yes Master..." The young champion wasn't going to argue about leaving.

He crouched beside Kenneth and lifted him off the ground to throw him on his shoulders before walking toward the stairs, Touha on his steps. Mathias tried to get up, but fell back down on his rear, unable to support himself. He eyed his student with worry until he couldn't see him anymore, then hung his head low while rubbing his forehead with his fingers. His head spun so much and his whole body felt weak. He wanted to get up and follow Kenneth...but obviously Yolene wasn't going to let him. So he just sat there and thought. The event of the last hours started playing in loop in his head; how he forced Kenneth to come, how he was unable to stop him do something stupid, how he forced him to suffer to get the demon out only to have him back mentally broken. Guilt started seeping deeper into his bones, never to be removed again. Another mental wound that would need a crutch to keep him standing...

Yolene brought her finger and her thumb to the bridge of her nose with a sigh as Tomoon and Moohae stared down at the floor, waiting for the head master to say something. After a long awkward moment she finally spoke.

"Alright. Now let me get things straight. You two... decided to go down into the Sealed Shrine to wake Baphomet from its slumber in order to ask him questions about the prophecy. Is this what I'm supposed to understand?"

"But we thought we-" Tomoon tried to justify himself but Yolene didn't let him.

"Is that it?"

"...Yes."

"And you decided to do this after what happened with Carly? Really? I highly doubt you came up with this plan and executed it in barely two days!" She stated, her tone stern but calm. "For how long have you been planning this?"

"Only a few days. Carly only encouraged us to act." Tomoon confessed. Mathias wasn't listening to the conversation at all.

"And I suppose you didn't tell me because you thought I would forbid you from doing it?"

"...We knew you wouldn't agree...and that you wouldn't let us go."

"And you were right. And for good reasons." She said as she pointed toward the stairs behind her, her voice slightly growing louder. "There is a reason why no one is allowed to enter the Sealed Shrine. It is a dangerous place. You're a member of the council Tomoon. You should know better than this..." Tomoon's brow furrowed and his fists tightened beside him as he absorbed Yolene's words. He had reasons to act as he did. Why couldn't she understand this?

"You're supposed to be an example. This was stupid and careless. And this is certainly not the right thing to do to handle this situation-"

"What would you have us do then Yolene!" Tomoon interrupted her sharply, dropping her title with a scowl. "We didn't do anything since all this started. Since Moohae was possessed, you ignored the problem completely! We can't keep doing nothing and wait for things like this to fall on our head again if we can actually do something about it!"

"You just almost unleashed a Great Demon into our world Tomoon!" Yolene spat back, but doing a great job at keeping her cool despite the other man's aggressive tone. "Because of your crazy plan, Kenneth was possessed by Baphomet and may never recover from it. Is this your idea of 'doing something about it'?"

"At least I tried to do something!" He said as he poked his chest with his thumb. "The prophecy is real, whether you accept it or not. And even if it's not, the demons obviously think it is. They won't stop here! They'll keep attacking him until he's dead or they get what they want! If this prophecy is real, then you know what awaits us! A Great Demon will break his seal soon and this, Yolene, THIS is some very serious matter! Much more serious than me breaking rules and protocols!"

"And how is it helping our cause to bring Kenneth, our only hope of survival according to this prophecy you seem to like so much, into the Sealed Shrine and expose him to one of the greatest danger Rune Midgard has?"

Tomoon scowled and looked away. "We didn't think it would go like this..."

"You didn't think that an expedition into the Sealed Shrine to talk to Baphomet could possibly NOT go according to your plan?" She scoffed while she put her hands on her hips. "Do I really need to elaborate more on how irresponsible this was Tomoon..."

"We thought it was better than doing nothing while waiting for another one of us to be possessed." He replied coldly with a glare.

"And did you learn anything useful?" Moohae asked, seeping into the conversation. By the way Tomoon's gaze drifted to the side and his body tensed, he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"So you learned nothing..." Yolene said as she shook her head in annoyance.

"Baphomet told us it was not him who was going to break free...but-"

"But we can't take what a demon is saying as a viable source of information." Moohae finished in his place.

"And that is why I don't understand why you thought this could be a good idea." Yolene sighed.

"We thought we could make him say something without him realizing it, but we were unable to speak once we were-"

"Enough Tomoon. We don't have anything more to say on this. Close that portal."

The man glared at Yolene for a short moment before closing the portal behind him, the coffin closing and the chains taking their place back around it.

"How did you even know where we were?" He mumbled to Yolene.

"Who do you take me for Tomoon?" The head master scoffed with a frown. "The dark energy of Baphomet is hard to miss when he appears, even when you're on the surface. It woke me up. I went to ask you what was going on and you weren't there. Then I checked who was in charge tonight and saw you had changed the schedule at the last minute. You think I'm stupid?"

"We had good reasons to do this." Tomoon replied, trying once again to justify himself.

"I don't care about your reasons. No matter how good your intentions were, no matter how much you only wanted to find a way to protect people and Kenneth, the risks outweighed the benefits and you should have seen that. You put your own student and Kenneth in danger, for nothing. You put the whole world in danger for nothing."

"It was a risk I was willing to take..."

"You can't decide alone if it's appropriate to take such risks." Yolene spat aggressively. She couldn't believe he had gone that far. This was more than she could tolerate...

"You have lost my trust today Tomoon..." she continued as she closed her eyes in resignation. "This was irresponsible. You're supposed to be wiser than this, keep order and make people follow rules. That doesn't give you the right to step above those rules. They were meant for you too." She hesitated a moment before looking up at Tomoon. "If you are no longer trustworthy in that aspect, you are no longer trustworthy for the rest either. You don't give me much choice..." She held Tomoon's gaze, her head raised to look at him in the eyes from her smaller height. Her expression was impassive as she spoke. "You're no longer part of the council."

Tomoon's eyes widened and his jaw dropped slightly, staring at the head master for a long moment in bemusement.

"...What?"

Moohae closed his eyes and sighed silently. He knew it was probably going to end like this. What Tomoon had done was extremely dangerous. Even if they had avoided a disaster, Kenneth still suffered the consequences and the head master couldn't let it slip.

Tomoon choked on a breath before looking down at the ground, obviously having a hard time believing this was really happening. It didn't take long before his confusion transformed into anger. His brow furrowed and he clenched his jaw as his body tensed. He started breathing heavily and struggled to remain calm. Yolene understood his anger. But what else was she supposed to do?

"You're no longer in charge of the Sealed Shrine, nor of the renegade monks. Moohae will take charge of your duties until we find someone to replace you. Don't see this as a punishment..." She continued, holding his gaze with authority. "See this as an occasion to get things straight in your head and maybe question yourself. Maybe you do need some vacation from all those responsibilities."

"Master-" He tried to speak between clenched teeth but she didn't let him finish.

"You're the second oldest member of this council after Vran, Tomoon. Believe me when I say it doesn't please me to do this. But you leave me no choice. Later, once you had time to think about your behavior, we can talk about this again and see if you're worthy of regaining your seat. In the meantime you should really think about what you have done. It was not something a member of the council would do."

Tomoon closed his eyes and bit his lips, trying to keep his composure, but without success. His eyes snapped open and glared at the head master, his anger bubbling up to his head and exploding.

"You have no right to do this." He whispered, taking a step toward her before his voice grew louder until he was yelling. "This is ridiculous! I did what I had to do to protect us! It was a legitimate risk! You never go anywhere if you never dare to take them! Life is not always pretty and safe! Dangerous things have to be done sometimes! People have to put their lives on the line and sometimes people die! But the purpose they serve is greater than them! What I did was for greater good and at least I did something, unlike you, staying in you tower like the fucking pope and doing fucking nothing!"

He was getting dangerously close to Yolene, with a dangerous aggressivity. Moohae started to feel nervous all of a sudden, fearing for a moment what he intended to do. He stepped in front of the head master without a second thought and put his hands in front of him to stop the broad man, trying to calm him.

"Tomoon calm down!"

"I'll fucking calm down once she come to her sense!" He spat as he shoved Moohae's hands away from him, still killing the head master with his stare. Yolene held his gaze and remained unmoved as she slowly put her hand on Moohae's shoulder, gently pushing him aside.

"It's alright Moohae."

"Your uncle would have never remained passive in front of such a threat!" Tomoon yelled, taking the small step that still separated him from her. "You are too soft for your own good! I will not stay here and do nothing while you bury your head in the sand and pretend everything is ok!"

He pointed an accusing finger at her chest, but the moment his index came in contact with her skin, she caught his hand and pushed it away from her. Too fast for anyone in the room to see her moving and much too fast for Tomoon to react before he was pushed back on the ground. His back hit the coffin behind him and a horrible throb spreaded in his chest where, he assumed, Yolene had hit him. He honestly didn't see her hands move at all. He tried to catch his breath as he winced from the pain, but he quickly looked up when Yolene crouched before him.

"What would my uncle say if he saw you like this right now?" She whispered sharply, resting a hand on the coffin behind the old man and leaning toward him. Her voice was overbearing, but her tone and attitude was as calm and composed as ever. "What would he say, seeing you acting out of anger and personal shame? Is this how a champion behaves? If this is your idea of inner peace and control, I suggest you to seriously reconsider your perception of our profession. No matter what you may think of me, you know perfectly well that my uncle would have never let you go down there. And he would have reacted the exact same way I'm reacting now if he'd learned that you almost unleashed Baphomet into the world."

Tomoon looked away, Yolene's words making him ashamed. He breathed out deeply to calm his rising anger. An anger that was inappropriate and shamed him, knowing that what she was saying was true.

She got up slowly with a sigh. "I understand your anger Tomoon. I understand your concern as well. We're going to talk about this more you and I and see how we can handle this situation. Obviously I didn't take the threat seriously enough in the past. I take the blame for what happened with Carly and how the demon tried to kill Kenneth again. I should have been more careful. But even if I was wrong and didn't handle the situation correctly, it doesn't change anything to the fact that THIS..." She pointed a finger toward the coffin. "...was not the right way to handle it. And I can't let such dangerous actions go unpunished. I'm sure you understand this."

"Yes...Master..." The older man whispered weakly as he looked away.

Yolene nodded slowly and turned toward Mathias. He was still sitting on the ground with his head bowed, oblivious to the conversation going on.

"Don't you have anything to say to defend yourself Mathias?" She asked in a lower tone, but the man didn't react and so she tried again, louder. "Mathias?"

He looked up quickly with a startled gaze, before his eyes saddened. Yolene's heart sank in her chest. What was she supposed to tell him now? What punishment was greater than what he was already going through?

"What do you have to say?" She asked again.

Mathias looked at Tomoon, then at Moohae, before settling back to Yolene. He seemed lost and disoriented, not fully understanding what was happening right now. He looked tired and so much older than he really was. She sighed deeply and waved a dismissive hand toward the man. "Go to your student's side Mathias. You are useless to me right now." She finished with a scowl.

The old champion took a moment to understand before he nodded slowly. He got to his feet weakly and started to walk toward the staircase, under Moohae's gaze filled with pity. But as he passed by Yolene, she put her hand on his chest and stopped him. Leaning toward him, she brought her mouth to his ear and whispered.

"Don't think you're done with me though. You crossed a line and there WILL be consequences to your actions, regardless of Kenneth's fate. Am I being clear?"

Mathias looked straight ahead of him and remained unmoved, but nodded in understanding to the head master's words. She sighed and lowered her hand, letting him leave as she looked back at Tomoon.

"You and I are not done yet, Tomoon." Was the last thing Mathias heard before he started climbing up the stairs.

Each step he took was faster than the previous one, until he was running up the stairs. His heart was beating so fast it hurt. His head still spun and he felt on the verge of fainting, his mind fuzzy and his body tingling. He moved forward until he arrived into the main room of the Abbey, faintly lighted by the sun starting to rise outside. Breathless and unsteady on his feet, his back hit the wall beside him and he slid down to the ground with a weak whimper. He reached inside his pocket with a shaking hand to take the small flask of liquor and quickly brought it to his lips, swallowing half the bottle as he squeezed his eyes shut. The warm liquid trailed down his throat, bringing some semblance of comfort and security that made his body relax ever so slightly. He put the bottle down and gasped sharply and he tried to catch his breath and think clearly. His gaze was blurry with tiredness so he closed his eyes, bowing his head and bringing his hand up to his forehead.

"You couldn't mess up more than that old man..." He whispered to himself as he shook his head.

How could he even think this was a good idea? How did Tomoon managed to convince him? Well, he didn't need much convincing really. He just needed to say how this could save Kenneth's life and he was ready to go through hell without a second thought. They shouldn't have brought him too. It was so foolish. All of this was foolish. Now Tomoon lost his seat, Joey will probably be sent to the hole, HE would probably be sent to the hole too and Kenneth...

He exhaled deeply and took another swig of his flask. He wasn't even able to think about it. He had never seen Kenneth with such a hollow gaze before. After such a traumatizing experience, the boy would never be the same that's for sure. His mind was probably completely broken with what he had seen while the demon was inside him. It was impossible for him to stay sane after such a thing. And the pain he went through, he couldn't even begin to imagine how it felt...

But Touha said it was possible. He survived while he shouldn't have. He desperately clung to this small hope. Was it arrogant to pray for two miracles in row? He certainly didn't deserve any favors from God, but this was not about him. Mathias looked up at the ceiling with a frown, his eyes humid and on the verge of overflowing.

"You can do whatever the fuck you want to me." He whispered, barely audible to his own ear. "You can have me killed if you want I don't care. But don't make him pay for this. Please... If you don't want to do it for me, that's fine, but please do it for him." He closed his eyes and bowed his head, running a hand over his forehead. "He's a good boy, he never did anything wrong. He never asked for all this. None of it is his fault, it was not his idea to go down there, I forced him. If you have to punish someone you can punish me instead, I can take it. But why are you doing this to him? All this prophecy headache and cursed destiny to save the world and I don't know what other fucked up things. He doesn't deserve all this shit..."

He hung his head even lower and covered his eyes with his hand. "You can't take him away now. Not while I'm still alive. Not... not before I tell him... you can't take him now. Don't you fucking do this to me. I swear if you do this, I'll climb up the hellish pit I'll find myself in when I die and come up all the way to your stupid fluffy cloudy paradise to kick your fucking god's ass. And no matter how many time you send me back to hell, I'll climb back up to kick you again and again..."

He didn't know how long he stayed there, breathing heavily and unable to collect his thoughts as he talked to God in his head. But after a while, a hand squeezed his bent knee gently.

"Are you ok?"

Mathias looked up, his gaze meeting with Moohae's dark eyes. Concern and worry were all over his face as he looked down at his friend. Mathias coughed to clear his throat and looked away.

"If you're here to tell me how stupid I have been, really Moohae, wait for a better moment." He breathed out weakly, the sound of his own voice making his head throb.

"Yeah, you've been pretty stupid." Moohae sighed. A long pause stretched before he scoffed. "What would have been more clever is to ask me for help. I would have ensured Yolene remained out of this."

Mathias' head snapped back up to look at him in confusion. "...What?"

"I've been possessed before Mathias." Moohae whispered. "And my student was too. All this because of this prophecy. I can't explain it to you...but this prophecy is real. I just know it. It's a feeling, anchored deep inside me, ever since I was possessed. Believe me, what awaits us is more than we can handle. This is very serious. I didn't want to accept it at first. I thought it was just some kind of side effect. But now Carly was possessed too, and I'm sure she'll have the same uneasy feeling I'm having. This proves me that the prophecy is real and that we are in grave danger. And now you just came back from the Sealed Shrine where Kenneth was able to talk with Baphomet and expel it from his body on his own without dying... if this doesn't prove that your student is the man the prophecy talks about, then I don't know what kind of proof you need."

"He came back alive? Really? You and I didn't see the same boy apparently. The boy I saw was mentally broken and will probably never recover from this..." Mathias replied with a scowl.

"I know you're worried about him right now. Believe me, my student is in the same state and I don't know when or if she'll wake up. I know how you feel. But I'm sure your 'boy', as you call him despite the fact that he's now almost as old as you were when you became his sensei, is stronger than we think and he'll be able to go through this. He survived having his mind overwhelmed by Baphomet and his soul crushed in darkness. I'm sure he can still surprise us."

Mathias laughed a little as he looked away. "Yeah...He's good to do that." He sighed deeply before running hand over his head. "But you didn't see him down there Moohae. You didn't see him cry... no, sob through moans of pain, plead for me to kill him and end his suffering. You never want to hear that from your own s-"

"I know Mathias. But it's over now. And if he survives this and come back to his sense, he'll be stronger than ever." Moohae interrupted him.

"I suppose." The old man looked up at his friend with a raised brow. "But really... you meant what you said?"

"About Yolene?"

"Yeah... you would have helped us? Why? I know you're not the kind of man to disobey authority like this. You were always so lawfull."

"True. But you seem to forget something very important in all this." Moohae replied with a small smile. He leaned his head toward his friend and whispered. "Like you, all I want is to protect people and do my duty. And I also want to protect my student. They attacked her and made her do their dirty business. And I don't even want to think about anything else they made her do while she was away. I don't even know for how long she was possessed. But the point in all this, Mathias, is that it has become fucking personal."

Mathias' eyes grew wide for a split second before a small smirk creeped up his lips. He hadn't heard Moohae use such a word since... well, never.

"For you to use such words, you must be really serious about it. But honestly, it didn't even cross my mind to ask for your help. I never thought you would have helped us." Mathias admitted.

"I never thought my student would be possessed by a demon either. Life is strange like that sometimes." Moohae sighed as he looked at the stairway to make sure the head master was not coming. "I know you thought well with this plan Mathias...maybe it was stupid, but I understand you wanted to do something about it and stop waiting for another disaster. Yolene is an intelligent woman and I'm sure she'll start taking this more seriously now. Maybe you just acted a bit too carelessly...as always." He finished with a small laugh.

"Kss, don't act like you're the perfect incarnation of caution." Mathias scoffed. "Don't make me enumerate all the stupid and careless decision you made when we were younger because someone was in danger."

"Don't make me enumerate all the stupid and careless decision you made because you were drunk..." Moohae replied back, his smile saddening.

"That would take much too long..." Mathias said as his eyes drifted down to his flask. He started raising it up to his lips but Moohae stopped him, putting his hand on his wrist.

"I know you don't want me to say this and it probably won't change anything...but you shouldn't drink so much Mathias." Moohae whispered as he glanced up at his friend. "No matter how deep your wounds are, this is not helping them heal."

"It is helping..."

"That's just an illusion and you know it. I know you don't care much about it, but this is dangerous for your health."

"Don't lecture me now Moohae. I've always drunk and you know that, despite my effort to always hide it from you."

"No...you didn't always drink." Moohae said as he took the liquor away from his grip. "Not like this. When Kenneth got here it started to get worse. Then Gwen died and-"

"Stop that..." Mathias interrupted him as his body tensed. He looked down before whispering weakly. "Stop that..."

Moohae looked down with a sigh as he held the flask in front of Mathias. "I know you don't like to hear about her. But maybe if you talked about this more, and everything else haunting you with guilt, you'd be able to get rid of this. God knows how many people here would like to see you back on the right track."

"It's not as easy as you make it sound." Mathias replied harshly.

"Probably not. But you should know we all have our reasons to feel ashamed..." Moohae whispered as his gaze drifted to the side. He sighed and nodded his head toward the bottle of liquor. "And you should know that this is not helping you at all. You know it's the truth Mathias..."

The bald man stared at the flask for a long moment before he sighed and looked away. "I know. I... I'm sorry..."

"You have nothing to apologize for to me Mathias. The only person you should apologize to is yourself."

"Kss, as wise and deep as always." Mathias snorted.

"I had to compensate for your vulgarity."

The two man laughed quietly, their faint voice resonating in the big room. Moohae sighed with a smile and put his hand on Mathias' shoulder.

"Next time you intend to do something about the prophecy, let me know. If I can help you in any way I can, I will. I want to understand all this, I want to protect my student and... I want justice for what they did to her..."

"I understand. Thank you. Maybe if I HAD told you about this, you would have stopped us from doing something so stupid."

"I'm sure Tomoon was very persuasive..." Moohae said with a small laugh. He looked up at one of the big window and sighed. "It's almost morning already. You must be very tired after all this. You should go back to the sanctuary to sleep. I'll go back to Carly's side."

"Yes... I hope she wakes up soon." Mathias said with a nod.

"I hope too..."

Moohae got up slowly, but a faint noise caught his attention and he turned around quickly.

"Did you hear that?" He asked with a frown.

"Yes. Someone's coming. Maybe Vran is up." Mathias replied as he swallowed hard and got to his feet. He really didn't feel like facing that old man Vran right now and having to explain why he was here so early in the morning.

"Then maybe you should lea-" Moohae interrupted himself when he saw a blonde woman emerge from the darkness of the corridor. "C-Carly?!"

"Sensei..."

The old man ran toward her, Mathias on his steps. He put a hand on her shoulder, his other hand not knowing what to do and hovering over her. "Carly! When did you wake up! Are you ok? You shouldn't be walking around like this!"

"I'm ok sensei..."

"Are you sure? H-how do you feel?"

"I feel fine, really." She replied quickly, but the way her body was so unsteady on her feet told a different story.

"You should sit down." Mathias said as he motioned to a bench placed against the wall. The girl didn't fight back and let herself fall on the seat.

"When did you wake up?" Moohae asked again, sitting beside her and still holding her shoulder.

"An hour ago. I felt very disoriented. I just... I needed to see someone and know what had happened..."

"We'd better get you to Touha." Mathias said as he looked toward the Abbey's doors.

"Wait...I need to know; Where is Kenneth?"

Moohae and Mathias exchanged glances briefly before Mathias spoke. "He's at the sanctuary."

"Is he alright?" She asked with apprehension, which made Mathias frown.

"You remember what happened?"

Carly looked down as she closed her eyes. "Yes. I remember. I could see everything while... she was inside me. I was there, but unable to dictate my will to my body. It was so scary." She looked up again with fear. "Is he alright? I didn't... oh God, please tell me I didn't-"

"You didn't kill him. Don't worry." Moohae replied quickly. "He's... not in very good shape right now, but it's not because of you."

"N-not in good shape? What do you mean?" She asked as her hands started shaking. She looked cold and still a bit disoriented. Moohae quickly took her hands in his own and smiled.

"It's ok. It's nothing. I'll explain to you later. Don't worry about this now. You should go back to the infirmary and rest."

"Wait." Mathias kneeled before the blonde woman and looked up at her eyes. "You say you remember everything from when the succubus was inside you?"

"Y-yes..."

"When did she possess you?" He continued under the worried look of Moohae, who would have prefered if he had waited before bombarding his student with those questions.

"After I became a champion. I was in Geffenia with my companions. I fought with the succubus but she... she just...I..." Her body started to shake even more as she remembered. "She just forced herself inside me. I tried to push her away but... I wasn't able to. She pushed my soul aside and took over my body. She did...it...I wasn't able to...I didn't want to do what she..." Tears started to form at the corner of her eyes and Moohae made her stop.

"It's ok Carly. Don't hurt yourself with this."

"Did you see anything? While she was inside you?" Mathias continued, ignoring Carly's reactions to the memories. "Did you see something about a prophecy. Do you know why she wanted to kill Kenneth?"

"She didn't want to kill him." She replied weakly as she squeezed her teacher's hands, her eyes shut. "Kenneth was about to discover her, so she... she tried. But she...it wasn't..."

"Calm down Carly. You don't have to answer all this just now. Let me take you back to the infirmary." Moohae said as he tried to make her stand, but she remained on the bench and kept talking.

"She was afraid of Verica. The girl Kenneth brought back. She kept thinking...about choices and... how they needed to make sure he wouldn't have the chance to make the right one. She... there was a word... I couldn't understand everything. But there was a word she repeated a lot. She kept thinking of... the legacy."

"The legacy? The legacy of what?"

"I don't know, she repeated this a lot in her thoughts. There were... images. I saw things...it was blurry and unclear. There were ruins and blood in a devastated land... there was a man and... a woman beside him with her hand resting on his back...protectively. She was... she seemed very protective over him. There was this strange feeling of...of deep sadness coming from her...but it's... I can't remember clearly... their faces... it hurt to look at those images in her head..."

"That's enough." Moohae interrupted her as she started to panic and cry. "I think you asked enough question for now Mathias."

"Yes... I'm sorry." Mathias bowed his head in an apology as he got to his feet. Carly looked up at him as her body kept trembling and tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I can't help you more than this Mathias. It's all so blurry. But Verica... she's...I don't know, I don't understand what I saw. But she spoke of a legacy... always... always she thoughts about this and how it was dangerous. I don't know...I really...I..."

"It's ok Carly." Mathias whispered sadly. "Don't push yourself. Go back to the infirmary and I'll go get Touha for you."

The girl nodded as she let her sensei help her stand and lead her into the corridor. Mathias sighed deeply as he turned around and walked toward the Abbey's main door. He brought his hand up to his lips, then scowled when he remembered Moohae had taken his flask. Another reason why he never drank in front of that old fool. And now he was lecturing him on top of that and talking about things that really weren't his business. Kenneth, Yolene, Tomoon and now him...as if he didn't already know he had a problem. Having everyone telling him was really not necessary...

But he was honestly very surprised by Moohae's words. He never thought he would be so bold and go against the rules. But he was right. This was personal for him now. First he, now his student. He had every reasons to want to see through this prophecy too...

The prophecy. Now with Carly's insight, they had some more information to work with. So Verica really was important in all this. What part was she playing? And this legacy...what did it mean? And the man and woman Carly saw. Good god, it was always like this. Every new element confused him more than it helped him. Was it even possible to understand this damn prophecy?

Mathias passed the door of the Abbey and started walking toward the sanctuary. This whole prophecy business would have to wait. He needed to get Touha and tell her about Carly. Then he needed to sit beside Kenneth and pray like he had never prayed before...

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><p>There you go. Next chapter we're going back to Verica and her new friend :) don't worry if it takes an eternity for me to update. It's normal XD and I apologize in advance. But don't worry. It may take a whole month, but I WILL update :P<p> 


	34. 5:The mysterious man

Been a long time eh? more than a month. I'm sorry yet again. I simply don't have as much time anymore. And this was very hard to write as well. Still I'm not satisfied at all with this :S It's... pretty rushed and all over the place -_- This is the fifth version of chapter 34. The best one in my opinion... but still not how I would like it to be :S I just didn't know how to do it... so yeah... that's what you'll have, sorry XDDD it's a pretty boring chapter for such a long wait and I'm sorry for that too...

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><p><strong>Chapter 34 The mysterious man<strong>

"Are you always so silent?"

No reply came from the man walking in front of Verica at a steady pace, his baphomet jr. on his steps with his little scythe tied to his back. The young woman pouted and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I suppose that means yes..." she mumbled in irritation.

She and Meiji had traveled all morning together, after he had agreed to escort her to Juno to pay his debt. She didn't really consider him to be in debt toward her, but since he seemed so adamant about repaying her for saving his life, she wasn't going to turn down his help. Beside, that's what she wanted. Meet new people. Travel with them. She just met her first companion sooner than she thought she would have.

All morning, not a word from the man though. He kept walking in front of her, like she was not there at all. They had stopped to eat, in silence once again, and were now back on the road in the prontera forest, heading towards the fields of Mt. Mjolnir. She had tried to start a conversation with the assassin during lunch, but he answered her questions with extremely vague answers, other questions, or simply ignored her all together. She had abandoned the idea of talking with him and ate her meal in an awkward silence.

This was not really what she had in mind when she asked him to come with her. She thought she would have a companion. Someone to talk to and feel less lonely. Because even if it hadn't even been 2 days since she left the Abbey, she was already feeling the weight of solitude. When you were used to sleep, eat and even bathe with 50 other people, it was very unsettling to suddenly be alone. And it was strange not to feel so many people's presence too. Here, there was only the few creatures' aura around, the assassin's and the baphomet's.

Speaking of that little demon, he seemed awfully curious about her. When they stopped to eat, he spent all his time stealing glances at her. Even now, he kept looking back at their new female friend with curiosity. Every time Verica's gaze would meet his, he would look back in front of him and pretend he never looked. Honestly, she found it extremely cute. He seemed so innocent and harmless. More adorable than threatening really. But it didn't change anything to the fact that he was a demon and that his presence felt like a huge weight on her shoulders. No matter if he was tamed or how innocent he looked, she couldn't help but be wary of the little creature. Well, not that she should trust the man either really. She had just met him and he was an assassin. Her decision to travel with him was probably a very risky idea. But god she loved it...

It was just so exciting. All this adventure and meeting new people and seeing new places. She couldn't wait to be in Al De Baran and see the clock tower! Oh God she wanted to go inside! And see clock tower managers! And fight ridewords!

As she was swooning over her imaginary adventures, she caught the baphomet jr. looking at her again. She stared back, making him look away once more. Really this little game was getting old. She wished she could actually speak with him and understand what he was saying.

But this time, the little demon looked back at the monk and held her gaze shyly. He took a moment to look up at his master, then back at the woman. He seemed hesitant about something, so Verica decided to stop this little game now.

"Is there something you want?" She asked, tilting her head to show her confusion to the demon. His head moved back a little before he looked up at the assassin and mumbled something. The man looked down at him with a raised brow.

"Why?" The demon mumbled a reply, making Meiji look back in front of him dismissively. "Whatever. Take it yourself."

The baphomet jr. glanced back at Verica before jumping on his master's shoulders.

"How can you understand what he's saying?" She asked as the creature opened Meiji's backpack. The man looked briefly at Verica before he shrugged.

"I don't know. I just do."

"...You just do? But how? You speak demon or something?"

"I don't really understand what he's 'saying'. It's more like I know what he thinks. Some kind of telepathic connection that happened after I made his egg hatched. That's what happens when you bond with a creature like this."

"Wow..." She looked at the creature in question as he searched in the bag for something. "That's pretty cool."

A notebook and a pencil came out of the bag in the baphomet's hands before he jumped back down on the ground, under the perplexed look of the young monk.

He walked alongside her as he wrote on the paper before showing what he wrote to the woman. Verica narrowed her eyes at the sheet for a moment, then laughed when she understood what he was trying to do.

'_Your name in Verica, right?_' was written on the notebook. Apparently the little creature wanted to communicate with her too.

"Yeah, that's my name. Yours is... Daniel is it?" She replied, doing her best not to laugh at the ridiculous name. For a demon at least. He nodded before he wrote again.

'_Thank you for saving my master Verica.'_

The young woman smiled and nodded to the little creature. "It was nothing really. I'm just glad I could help"

'_I'm glad you could help too.'_

"But what happened exactly? Did you see what attacked him?"

Daniel shook his head as he wrote._ 'I only saw black smoke. When it cleared out, he was bleeding all over the place'._

"That's strange..."

'_I don't know what it was, but it felt like a demon.'_

Verica's eyes widened briefly as she looked at him in confusion. "What? What do you mean?"

"It was not a demon Daniel." Meiji said with a sigh. The baphomet mumbled something that made the assassin look behind him. "I don't know any kind of demon who can transform into smoke like this and do so much damage in so little time... Of course not...Well, yes, in that case I suppose it could but... don't be ridiculous, Great Demons are sealed... yes, I know they can still influence our world, but if they controlled that kind of power, they would use it to break their seal, not attack some random travellers in the prontera forest."

"What was it then?" Verica asked, trying to follow the conversation with only half of it. The Baphomet replied something that made Meiji scoff.

"If it was his doing, it wouldn't have tried to kill me, you know that."

"Who?" The young monk tried once again to be acknowledged into the conversation.

Meiji glanced briefly at Verica before returning his attention to the road ahead, ignoring the question. The young woman's features changed into a pout as she sighed in resignation. Guess she wasn't getting an answer to that question either. Although this question worried her more than the others. What kind of trouble could this man be in if the people who wanted to harm him were in control of such powers? Anyway he obviously had no intention to talk about it more...

The little baphomet jr. mumbled something to his master, scowling at him for some reasons. Meiji just shrugged with a small "Whatever" and proceeded to ignore his small friend. Daniel sighed before looking up at Verica with a smile. He started writing on his sheet of paper again to continue his conversation with the woman.

'_May I ask how old you are?'_

"I'm... 24." She replied hesitantly. It was strange to talk to him like this. She was surprised he actually knew how to write their language...

"_You look younger than that."_

She wasn't sure if she should take this as a compliment or an insult. She went for the first. "Well, thank you... I guess."

'_You're going to become a champion?'_

"Yes. I hope I will. That's why I'm going to Juno."

'_Are you scared?'_

"...Scared of what?"

'_This journey to Juno. It's dangerous. Are you sure you can do it?'_

Verica frowned at the creature before crossing her arms over her chest. "I am not scared. I'm ready for this. My training is complete and I know I'll succeed. And I am NOT scared."

The baphomet smiled at her answer as he wrote his reply.

'_I like your attitude.'_

What was she supposed to reply to that? "Well... thank you."

'_Anyway, you've got nothing to be afraid of with my master to protect you. And you can be sure he'll protect you until we arrive to Juno. He always pays his debts._' He wrote with a happy face.

"Is that so..." She whispered, glancing shyly at the man walking a little further in front of hera and ignoring the interaction completely. "He really is strong then?"

'_He's very strong. His lineage is unique. That's why he's in so much trouble.'_

"What do you mean?" Now this was interesting. She kept her voice barely above a whisper, so that the man in question wouldn't hear. The baphomet wrote his answer hastily, looking nervously at his master as well.

'_His genes are special amongst the members of the assassin's guild, because there're only two people with those genes left in Rune Midgard. His-'_

Verica couldn't read the rest of the sentence as she suddenly collided with Meiji's chest who had stopped and turned around. She almost fell on her rear as she looked up at him and swallowed nervously. The tall man simply looked down at his little friend, his eye as impassive as ever. He bent down and took the notebook from the demon's hand, tore the page he had written on, crumpled it and turned around to keep walking as he put the notebook back in his bag, without a word.

The baphomet looked up at Verica with a sheepish look and shrugged apologetically as he started walking again, sighing in exasperation. The young monk stayed where she was, confused for a moment. She stared at Meiji as millions of questions popped in her head with what she had just read on that sheet of paper. She tried to keep her smile of excitement away from her lips as she jogged to Meiji's side and tilted her head to look at him.

"What's special with your genes?" She asked with bright eyes full of curiosity, her hands behind her back.

"Nothing."

"Daniel said they're special."

"They're not."

"Are you some kind of superhuman?" The man didn't reply, showing the girl he was going to ignore her from now on. He just looked back at his pet with a small glare, before looking back foward with a sigh.

"Are you some kind of laboratory experiment? Are you the fruit of some... extremely advanced technological research like they used to perform in the bio lab of Lighthalzen? Are you...are you human?" She almost whispered the last words. Her imagination was running wild right now. She was probably being ridiculous, but her curiosity was aroused to the point of no return.

Meiji stopped and blinked, glancing at the blabbering monk with a raised brow. "You have a lot of imagination." He said after a short moment of silence before he kept moving, ignoring her questions.

Verica's head moved back a little. She looked away and laughed lightly, remembering how, 8 years ago, Kenneth had told her the same thing in the prontera church. It was a bit crazy how she remembered so many things about Kenneth and her in details, no matter if it had been 8 years.

She was 16 back then. Asking questions and being quite naive and childish. She had come a long way since then and she felt a pang of shame at how right now, she sounded as childish and immature as she did so many years ago.

"I'm sorry sir." She said with a smile as she gazed up at Meiji. "I'm just very excited. And you're a complete mystery to me. I simply wish I could know more about y-"

She interrupted herself when she saw the assassin stop in his track, staring at her with his exposed eye, as emotionless as ever. She was lucky she was smaller than him. Otherwise his sakkat would hide his eyes to her; the only part of his face visible with his nose. But a nose was not very useful to read someone. She wished his scarf was down too so she could see his mouth...

But if his eye was any indication, he was probably not a very expressive person anyway.

"Don't call me sir." Meiji said simply, his voice holding an hint of irritation. Verica smiled apologetically as she continued.

"Sorry. But...it makes me feel weird to call you by your name while I barely know you. I don't know you at all actually." God she was using all her self control right now not to burst in an explosion of questions.

"You don't need to know me." The man replied with a shrug. He took a step to keep going, but Verica blocked his way, keeping her smile in place to try to be polite.

"But I would like to. Who are you really?" She asked, trying to keep eye contact with the man. "Why are you in so much trouble? I could help you maybe."

Meiji held her gaze, but didn't reply. So she kept going, her questions getting past her lips more easily.

"What did your pet mean by 'your lineage is unique'? Why are you special and why is it making you in danger? Is it related to your eye, to why you're covering it? Or your white hair? You seem too young to have white hair, no?" There was no stopping the torrent of questions at this point. She just asked everything that came to her mind. She needed to know. If she couldn't know, she needed to ask at least. "O-or is it related to your tattoo maybe? Does the snake means something? Why are y-"

"You sure talk a lot for a monk."

Verica's head moved back as she stopped talking. She bit her lips and glanced to the side, bowing her head a little in a silent apology. "I just want to know who you are, that's all."

"Who I am is none of your business." He replied coldly. "I said I would protect you until you arrive to Juno and that's what I'll do. But I also said I expected you to follow me without unnecessary questions. And those questions, in addition to being impolite and immature, are unnecessary. Considering that we've been traveling for half a day and already you're breaking one of the only rule I established, I think it's safe to say you should reevaluate your attitude unless you wish for this journey to be very unpleasant for the both of us."

Verica's body tensed, intimidated by the sudden change of tone. Meiji took the small step that separated them, looking down at the smaller woman with his emotionless eye. "I am not your friend, neither do I intend to be in the near future. I'm your bodyguard, your guide, until we get you to the floating city. Nothing more. You don't need to know me, I don't need to know you, but there is no need for us to get on each other's nerve either... So please, I'll ask you politely, and I hope I won't have to ask again..." He leaned in toward her, bowing his head to look at her in the eyes. "Don't ask unnecessary questions."

The two of them didn't move for a few seconds, Verica simply not daring to move as he stood so close to her. Meiji tilted his head slightly as he narrowed his eye.

"Am I being clear?"

Verica nodded slowly as she swallowed and averted her eyes. Meiji straightened up with a nod before stepping to the side to move past her, his pet observing the scene awkwardly. The young monk stared at the ground, hitting her head on a imaginary wall for how she irritated him, but at the same time trying to repress her own irritation toward the man. Sure, she understood he might not want to talk about his past, like Kenneth, but was it really too much to ask for a little socialization? Why give her such cold shoulders.

"Why are you so defensive anyway?" She mumbled as she started to walk again, not really expecting an answer, but got one anyway.

"Another unnecessary question, little monk." Meiji replied in a sigh.

Verica stopped again, frozen on the spot as her eyes snapped up to look at the man's back. What did he call her?

Her unease was brushed away in an instant; her temper bubbling up to the surface and piercing her composure. She scowled at the tall man and clenched her fist as she walked in front of him with heavy steps, blocking his path.

"What did you call me?!" She yelled in his face, making him move his head back slightly. It was his turn to be surprised by the sudden change of behavior of his new traveling companion. But he regained his composure quickly.

"...I called you little monk." He replied calmly. "Isn't it what you are?"

"I am not a 'little monk'. And I don't like you calling me like this, as if I'm a naive child! If you don't want us to get on each other's nerve, you should stop being such a jerk!" She continued, poking his chest with her finger in irritation.

The assassin's eye widened slightly at her, his brow rising as he held her angry gaze. After a short moment he closed it and bowed his head..

"You're right. My apologies." He replied in this smooth low voice of his before looking down at her again. "I did not mean to be disrespectful."

Verica shifted uncomfortably in front of him, her anger being soothed with the calm and soft way he apologized in such a gentlemanly manner. How could his behavior change so easily. He was so infuriating... but so polite at the same time.

"It's alright..." She whispered, avoiding his gaze. She sighed deeply as her arms dropped on each side of her, letting go of the small parcel of anger remaining from her small outburst. If she had been with Kenneth, he would have probably yelled back at her, depending on how he felt that day. This man sure was calm. Calm like monk ought to be she dared say.

"I'm sorry for asking so much questions. It's none of my business." She continued as she looked up and smiled gently at him, offering her hand to him. "Let's just get along you and I. As you said, there's no reason for this to be unpleasant."

Meiji stared at her hand a long moment, making her feel awkward and she wondered if maybe she should just keep walking. But after a long silence he reached for her hand with his, holding it firmly in a polite handshake.

"You are a strange girl." He said with a narrowed eye.

Verica tried her best not to roll her eyes. Coming from him, this statement sounded very hypocrite. But she wasn't going to say that now.

"Let's just keep going." She said with a shrug and a small laugh, turning on her heels to move on. Meiji looked back at Daniel, shrugged and followed the young monk in silence, ignoring what just happened as if he didn't care. He probably didn't really.

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><p>They kept walking as the day went on, but this time Verica decided to stay silent. The earlier conversation had been awkward. She didn't want to get on the man's nerve again. But as much as their silence was uncomfortable at first, as they walked, hour after hour, the silence slowly became natural and somehow comfortable. They met stainers on their way and some poporing, but those peaceful creatures simply minded their own business as they walked by. It would be a different business once they reached Mt. Mjolnir though, which was going to be soon. Argiope and argos would attack them on sight. But it didn't worry her much. She had never been in the outside world, maybe, but she was pretty confident in her capacities to get rid of such low level monsters.<p>

The trees of the prontera forest slowly disappeared, the forest becoming less dense. They entered the fields of Mt. Mjolnir as the sun started to get low in the sky. The road splitted three way, but Meiji didn't hesitate a second and turned left, showing the girl behind him she should follow him. Apparently he knew his way around, which she was grateful for. Not needing to look at her map every 10 seconds was greatly appreciated.

It took only an hour of walking in their new environment before they met with a group of argiope who attacked them on sight. Verica barely had time to reach for her knuckle that Meiji had already taken down half of them. The young monk froze a moment at the sight. She felt the draft of air caused by his sudden movement more than she saw him move really. And the speed at which he killed the monsters was incredible. His katars sunk into the bodies of the creatures, one after the other, often two at the same time. It was over before the argiope had any chance to counterattack.

She had read about how some assassins were so quick they could kill you before you even had time to draw your weapon, and so agile they could go through a whole fight without being hit once, avoiding every blow. Sure, argiope were not powerful creatures, but it was still impressive to see an assassin in action, katars moving too fast for her to follow his movement. Who knows what he could do against more powerful enemies, when he was giving everything he had? If the man was not very good company, he was a very useful fighting companion, that's for sure.

One of the argiope still reached her and Verica immediately defended herself, using her 8 years of training to kill the aggressive creature. Well, it didn't take 8 years of training to kill an argiope, but this was still more exciting than fighting a training dummy. As she gave the fatal blow to the insect, she found herself wishing Kenneth was here to see her. No matter if she had succeeded in proving him she was ready to take on this journey and that she was strong enough, she still wished he could see her fight for real, with a real enemy, without holding back at all. Even after killing the argiope, she was half expecting to receive a clap on the shoulder or a pat on the head with a "nice work girl". But none of this came. Only the sound of Meiji's katar finishing off the last monster with his baphomet jr. helping him with his little scythe.

Verica turned toward him, putting her knuckle back into her pocket and trying to hold back the small lump in her throat. Those moments were hard to live. Those moment that were usually spent with Kenneth. Fighting like this... it was strange not to have him by her side... and it pulled on the strings of her heart...

The assassin looked up at his companion, his gaze meeting hers and noticing how her features changed into a strange display of sadness and nostalgia. He frowned slightly as he held her gaze, making her feel extremely exposed to him. It was unsettling how his eye seemed to see through her like this. Maybe it was the unusual color or the lack of emotion in it. For a moment she thought he was going to ask what was wrong; because obviously it showed in her eyes that something was wrong, by the way he looked at her. But he just turned back toward the road.

"Let's keep moving." Was all he said.

Verica shook her head and cleared her throat, brushing the images of her teacher away from her head. This was harder than she thought... But it was too late now. She left. She had to go through this until the end. And so she followed her new companion.

"Yes sir..." She whispered as she started walking again.

"I told you not to call me that."

"Right..." Verica glanced up at him. She hesitated for a moment, but decided to ask anyway. "I'm sorry. May I ask why? Or is this an unnecessary question as well?"

Her tone was devoid of the earlier childish curiosity. It was simply politely interested. Meiji looked at her as they kept walking down the road, staring at her in the eyes for longer than was considered polite before he looked back in front of him. Maybe it was the different tone, or maybe it was the look on her face, but the man apparently decided that he could answer that question.

"I've used this word too much in my life." He said in this calm tone that was so odd coming from an assassin covered in dry blood. "I've used it on men I hope I'll never be like."

She wasn't sure she understood, but by now she knew this was probably the closest thing from an answer she was going to get. It was more information about him than she had gotten since they met anyway.

"Well, I was simply being polite." She remarked.

"I know. But please don't call me like that anymore."

"...Alright..."

Well, this was probably the best conversation she had with him so far, without her saying something to irritate him, or him annoying her. They were doing good progress she supposed...

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><p>The day passed by as they made their way through the fields. Other creatures attacked them, but too low level to present any real challenge. Meiji took care of most of them, apparently taking his job of bodyguard very seriously even against weak creatures. Verica barely had to fight. She didn't really mind. She didn't particularly enjoyed killing monsters like this anyway. Being a monk was a way of living and serve God by slaying his enemies. Killing demons was her business. She had no quarrel with the other monsters of this world and simply defended herself when she needed to.<p>

The sun was slowly going down, ending this first day of travel, when Verica stopped on the road, making Meiji look back at her with a questioning gaze.

"Someone is coming this way." She said as she pointed toward a rock formation that prevented them from seeing the rest of the road. Meiji looked back at the direction she pointed with a frown.

"How do you know?"

"I can feel it."

"...You what?" He asked with his brow furrowed even more, his head turning back toward her.

"It's complicated..." Verica replied with a sheepish smile. She didn't really feel like explaining presences and how monks could feel souls. "Let's just say I can feel people's presence. Every monk can."

"...Is that so?" Meiji whispered, looking back at the road. "Is he far?"

"No. We should see him soon. He's alone. Or she. I can't tell that. But I'm pretty sure it's a human." She informed him. The assassin nodded as he looked back at her.

"Probably just another traveler. But let's not take any chances. Keep walking."

And with that, he disappeared. Vanished, into thin air, as if he had never been there at all. Verica gasped as a small wave of panic washed over her.

"W-what? Wh-where... y-"

"Just keep walking."

She heard his voice, but couldn't see him. She looked around her, but the voice clearly came from right in front of her. She could still feel his presence right there. She felt it move, going into the direction of the other person she felt...

Now she remembered. Cloaking. She had read about this too. Assassin could channel their energy to become invisible, just like a monk would to use their own skill. But... what was he going to do?

His baphomet jr. tugged the hem of her pants, catching her attention and making her look down. He nodded his head toward the road and started to walk, showing her she should do the same. She hesitated a moment, feeling Meiji's presence a few feet away from her. She swallowed and moved forward, not understanding what he was doing, but going along with it anyway.

Soon the presence she felt came into view. A man, around 50 years old, wearing blacksmith's clothing and dragging a cart behind him walked on the road toward her. She stopped when she saw him, but the baphomet motioned her to continue.

The man looked up and smiled at the woman when he saw her. They both met on the road and he stopped with a polite wave.

"Hello there young lady."

"H-hi..." She replied nervously as she felt Meiji move past the man and settle right behind him. What was he doing?

"Traveling alone?"

"Well... not really..."

"Yeah, I can see you have a little friend with you. A strange choice of pet if you want my opinion. Especially for a monk." The man remarked with a laugh.

"Haha, yeah...I'm...unorthodox like that..." She replied, stealing Mathias' line that she had heard him use a lot. Her eyes jumped from the man to where she knew Meiji was continuously.

"Well, you should be careful on the road. Are you heading north?"

"Hum, yes... I'm going to Al De Baran."

"Ah. Well, be even more careful. I've been attacked by a rogue earlier today in the Mt. Mjolnir fields. I was lucky he was alone at the time, but I'm pretty sure there were others with him somewhere and they're probably still lurking around. You should be very careful."

"Oh..." Verica smiled warmly at the man. "T-thank you for the warning. I'll be careful."

"I would normally accompany you, like the gentleman I am, but I have stuff to deliver. Are you sure you'll be ok all alone like this?" The man insisted.

"Yes." she waved a dismissive hand in front of her with a smile, but internally she was screaming in anxiety. What was Meiji doing, he was not moving... Oh God, she hoped he wasn't going to kill him. But she brushed her thoughts aside not to let her worry show. "Don't worry sir. I don't look like much, but I can handle a fight."

"Haha, yeah, I have no trouble believing that." The man said as he looked at her arms and laughed. "You sure are built like a fighter. I wouldn't want to be at the end of those fists."

"T-thanks..."

"Well then, have a safe trip young lady."

"Y-you too sir..."

Her body relaxed ever so slightly when the man walked past her and she didn't feel Meiji move. She sighed and stayed where she was for a moment, looking at the old man disappearing on the road. As she turned around to face her companion, she saw him reappear in front of her, his eye locked on the disappearing form of the blacksmith.

"What was that about?" she asked with a scowl.

"Apparently there are bandits on the road ahead. We'll have to be careful not to fall in an ambush." He replied, turning on his heel to keep going. Verica followed him as she rolled her eyes.

"I was not talking about this. What was THAT about?" She asked again, throwing her arm out to where the blacksmith was. "Why did you hide?"

"In case he was dangerous. It would have been easy for me to neutralize him that way, without him having any chance to defend himself."

"You would have killed him?"

"Not necessarily. It would have depended on how dangerous he was. Why?"

"I...nevermind." It was probably better not to tackle the matter of rights and wrongs about killing people with him. He was an assassin after all. Their opinions were bound to be different.

Meiji looked back in front of him and resumed his silence contest, making Verica slouch her shoulders a little. Maybe she would have been better with this blacksmith. He seemed awfully more social than this man...

* * *

><p>The sun disappeared behind the horizon, telling Verica it would be time to set camp soon. She was pretty tired really. They had travelled a lot in only one day, never stopping except two times to eat. She had travelled much slower on her own on her first day alone. Her feet were killing her and all she wanted to do was go to sleep now. If she was alone, she would have stopped right about now. But she wasn't. And she felt that somehow it was Meiji's call to decide when to stop. He was much more experienced than herself. Maybe where they were now wasn't a proper camping site...<p>

But a whole hour passed by, enough to make the sky completely dark and the land lit only by the moonlight. Still she followed him, hoping he would tell her to stop soon. Her hopes seemed in vain though. The more she walked, the more it seemed to her he was never going to stop...

"Excuse me?" She whispered shyly.

"Hm?" Still he kept walking.

"Hum... wouldn't it be time to set camp now?"

Meiji stopped and turned his head to look at the younger woman. He examined her a moment before replying. "You're tired?"

"W-well..." She looked away as she tried to find a way to tell him she wanted to stop, without admitting that she was tired while he seemed perfectly alright with another hour of travel. "I-I... it's...it would be dangerous to keep going in the dark...e-especially with those bandits the blacksmith talked about..."

Well, that was coherent at least.

The tall man didn't seem convinced though. He raised a brow at Verica, his eye full of skepticism and obviously not believing her reasoning one second. But he simply closed his eye after a few seconds and removed his backpack from his shoulders.

"Very well. Let's move away from the road and set camp."

"Thank you..." She sighed in relief.

She didn't bother with a fire, neither did Meiji. She was just so tired and apparently the assassin simply didn't care. She took her bedroll and settled in it for a nice night of sleep. God she needed to sleep...

Oh but... the bandits. They probably needed to keep guard or something. She raised her head up to look at the man who was settling his own bedroll down.

"Do we... keep watch or... something?"

"It's ok. I set wires around us. If someone comes too close, it will wake me."

"Oh... alright. Well, hum... goodnight then?"

"Hm."

She dropped her head back on her bedroll with a sigh. She heard the man laying down a few feet away behind her. She wanted to turn around to face him, having her back turned to him making her feel nervous... but she felt awkward actually turning around too. So she just stayed there and tried not to move. She didn't know why it made her so nervous, but at this point she was simply too tired to care.

* * *

><p>Verica woke up in the middle of night, hearing the sound of rustling clothes. She opened her eyes slowly, listening to the sounds. A small rush of adrenaline coursed through her body as her first thought was that they were being attacked. She looked in front of her but didn't see anyone. She couldn't feel anyone around either except Meiji. The sound she was hearing was probably just him rolling in his bedroll...<p>

But no. He was doing something. It was like he was searching in his bag for something...

She turned around slowly, trying to see him despite the darkness. She did saw him. He was kneeled in front of his bag, his shirt gone, doing something she couldn't see from where she was. The words written on his back stared back at her. "Obedience, silence, honor.". As she saw them again, she really wondered what they meant and why they were accompanied by the image of a snake...

But now was probably not a good time to ask.

She raised her head and tried to see what he was doing. She could hear him breathe and see his shoulders move up and down with each breath. He seemed to be looking down at his arm...what the hell was he doing? Only one way to know.

"Are you ok?" She whispered. But in the silence of the field, even her whisper startled him.

He looked behind him quickly, his orange eye settling on the girl with more emotion in it than she had ever seen yet. He wasn't wearing his eyepatch, but the eye usually covered with it was hidden from her on the side she couldn't see. Panic showed on his features for a few seconds before he looked back at whatever it is he was looking at before.

"Yes. Go back to sleep."

"W-what are you d-"

"Nothing. Go back to sleep." His hand moved in front of him, putting something back in his bag hastily. His other arm remained immobile, resting on his thighs, hidden from her. Even as he took his shirt to put it back on, his arm barely moved. He closed his bag and went back to his bedroll, holding his arm and his back turned to Verica.

The young monk kept staring at him for a moment in confusion, but he didn't acknowledge her and feigned to sleep as if he had never gotten up. She frowned at him, but went back to sleep after she realized that he was not going to explain at all. Jeez, was this man even able not to be mysterious for 2 fucking minutes?

* * *

><p>You know when you travel from one place to the other in RO and it's just sooo long and boring with nothing to do? Well the same problem apply to fanfiction XDDD I hope it wasn't too bad.<p> 


	35. 5:Incompatible

Last chapter was incredibly boring and took forever to post. SO, as an apology, here's chapter 35 already XD I had a day off and I wrote ALL day :) this one was easier to write too XD so here.

I hope things are not moving too fast. Oh and my battles may not be very ragnarok online realistic... but I tried to mix RO realistic, with real life realistic... and that's what it became.

Also...well... I feel like I should...maybe put a warning here? I'm not sure. Well, if you believe in God, I hope you won't be offended by any of this. It's just a story and my characters have the rights to believe and say whatever they want. So don't take any of what that character may say, now or in future chapters, personal.

With that being said, thank you for sticking around :)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 35 Incompatible <strong>

The sound of birds singing in the distance and the wind blowing woke Verica early in the morning, the sun barely rising. It took a moment for her to remember where she was, the sight of grass startling her at first. She stared at the ground for a long moment, immobile, letting her mind adjust to being brought back to reality.

The sound of a page being flipped caught her attention and she rolled on her back to look behind her.

Meiji looked up from his book briefly to look at her, nodded by way of saying 'good morning' she supposed, then went back to his reading. The book was brown, with no label whatsoever and looked pretty old. Verica slowly sat up in her bedroll as she noticed Daniel still sleeping beside his master. She also noticed the sun was barely up.

"Have you been up for long?" She asked in a whisper.

"Not really." He kept reading.

"...Ok..." She was about to ask about what he was doing last night when she woke up, but she was probably not going to get any answers anyway. And so she abandoned the idea.

She kept staring at the man. Or more precisely at his face. He was wearing neither his sakkat nor his scarf, so she could see his mouth. She had seen it back when she healed him, but it was still strange to see it now. Not that it gave her any more information so read him. She looked up at his eyepatch, trying to see some kind of scar around it, but saw none. His whole face was pretty much flawless actually. Not even stubble or a beauty spot. If she looked only at his face, he looked very distinguished, like a rich young man from Lighthalzen. And with his pure white hair, he looked even more classy. Even with the dirt and blood, they still looked so soft. An handsome man, without a doubt, but his behavior and emotionless face was just too unsettling...

Meiji felt her eyes on him and looked up again, meeting her gaze with his impassive one.

"Yes?"

"N-nothing!" She quickly replied as she looked away. She cleared her throat and took her coat to put it on.

Meiji's eye remained locked on her, examining her movement and making her feel uncomfortable. She attached the brooch at her neck and looked back at him shyly, making their gaze meet once again. She swallowed and tried to brush away her unease, but the way he stared back at her, without any kind of emotion or reaction was simply too strange. She looked away and picked up her belt, tying it up at her waist and trying to calm her heartbeat. This man was just so strange.

"You should eat. We'll leave when you're done." He said as he looked back at his book.

Verica nodded and started to put away her bedroll. She put away all her things to be ready to leave before she started to eat.

"You... you don't eat?" She asked her companion after a few minutes.

"Already did." He replied as he flipped another page.

"Ok..." Would it be naive to think maybe she could have a conversation with him today? Well, it was worth a try. "What are you reading?"

Meiji glanced up once again, only for a second. "A book."

Verica slouched her shoulders with a small scowl. "Very funny..."

"What's funny?"

"...Nevermind." Verica sighed. Was he doing this on purpose? To annoy her and mock her? Maybe. But not the smallest hint of playful smile on his lips though. Which made all this even more awkward. "What is your book about?" She asked again with a more precise question. It took a moment for him to reply.

"Philosophy."

Verica's head moved back a little. "...Philosophy?"

"Yes."

She was not expecting this. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but not this. "And... is it good?" She had no idea what a philosophy book looked like honestly. She had never read one.

The assassin cross scoffed lightly, but without his lips moving from their straight line. "It's interesting."

"What does it talk about?" Verica asked, trying to continue the conversation as she ate her meal. Meiji sighed lightly and closed his book the moment she spoke.

"Things that you wouldn't agree with I'm sure." He replied as he looked up at her. Verica frowned at him.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means what it means."

"You don't know me. You don't know what I might agree with or not." She replied with a frown.

The assassin stared at her for a moment before opening his book again. "That's what I'm deducing since you're a monk. I suppose you believe in God, no?"

"Of course I believe in God." Verica replied, her frown deepening. "You don't?"

"No." He said simply.

"Oh. You... you still, well... you believe in the old gods then?" She knew some people still believed in Odin, she shouldn't be surprised really. "It's a book about old mythology then? It's ok, I understand. Honestly I think the old gods are the same as the God we believe in today. Our ancestors just gave it different names. But I think it's all the same in the end. The importance is just to have faith." She said with a smile.

The man simply stared at her with a raised brow before he replied. "I don't believe in Odin either."

"...You don't... then..." Her eyes grew a bit wider as realization hit her. "You... you're an atheist?"

"That would be an accurate way to qualify me, yes." He said slowly, examining her and her reactions.

"I-I see..." She had never met with an atheist before. She wasn't sure how to feel about it. She had trouble imagining how someone could not believe. It seemed so "matter of fact" to her, probably the result of being raised in a church. But still... this was... odd.

"Does it make you uncomfortable?" The man asked, his low voice making her even more uneasy.

"N-no... well, honestly, I've never..." She hesitated, not knowing how to put her thoughts into words. "I-I... I just have trouble imagining it. How... how people can NOT believe. I mean...I can't imagine my life without the guidance of God..."

Meiji's eyes saddened ever so slightly. "Then I pity you." He whispered as he returned his attention to his book.

"But...how?"

"How what?"

"No...not how... I mean, why? Why don't you believe?" She asked, her curiosity ignited once again. "If I may ask..." It sincerely interested her to know.

Meiji glanced up, a small hint of surprise in his eye for a split second. He seemed to think for a moment, then looked back at his book and proceeded to read aloud. "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?"

Verica frowned at him. "What?"

"Answer the question. In your opinion, is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?"

"...Of course not."

"Then he is not omnipotent."

"Wh-...that's..."

"Is he able, but not willing?"

"What? No."

"Then he is malevolent." Meiji replied, still reading the book.

"God is not malevolent..." She scoffed.

"Is he both able and willing?"

"...Well... yes." Verica whispered, not really understanding where this was going. The smallest hint of smile showed on Meiji's lips for a fraction of a second before he kept reading.

"Then whence cometh evil?" He read aloud. Verica's head moved back.

"T-that's..." She searched for her words, but wasn't very successful. Meiji didn't wait for her to reply and kept reading.

"Is he neither able nor willing?" He continued. "Then why call him God?"

A long silence stretched between the two adventurers; Verica looking at Meiji with a mix of confusion and indignation, Meiji simply as emotionless as ever as he closed his book.

"You ask why I don't believe in God? To me, the logical question would be to ask you: Why do you believe? I find my point much more easier to defend."

"I-I..."

"So, as you can see, I doubt you agree with the content of this book." He continued, holding said book in the air.

Verica remained silent for a moment, taking in the information she had just received. She frowned deeply at the man after a while, her features changing almost into disgust.

"It's not important to know if God is willing to prevent evil or not. If he's able or not. What's important is what he teaches us. What is important is the strength he gives us. What's important is how God gives our life a meaning!" She spat with a glare.

Meiji's eye widened slightly at her last words. "...A meaning..." He whispered back, his eye shifting to look into space. He scoffed lightly as he closed his eye. "Is the meaning more important than the life itself?"

"...What do you mean?" She asked, her frown and glare still in place.

"Is the meaning of your life more important than the way you live your life?" He explained, his voice calm and smooth. "Is it fair to ask someone not to do certain things, for the sake of a meaning? Is a life, without the meaning God gives us, a worthless life? Can someone find a meaning without the holy words? Is this meaning less important, less real, than the one God gives you? Is our life determined only by it's meaning, or can it be defined by our actions? Or do you consider both the same thing?"

Verica blinked at all she heard. She had trouble following honestly. She simply scowled at the tall man and crossed her arms. "What are you trying to say? That I should not believe in God?"

"I'm not telling you to do anything. I'm merely asking questions. Something you believers seems to have trouble doing." He replied, blatantly challenging Verica's temper.

"Are you trying to anger me, 'sir'." She emphasised her last word, her angry voice matching her glare. "Because you're doing a hell of a job..."

Once again Meiji simply held her gaze before he sighed and closed his eye. "No. It was not my intention. My apologies." He replied calmly, but this time his gentlemanly excuses didn't soothe her anger away. He looked up at her again, his features as blank as always. "And I would never dare to tell you not to believe in God. The same way, I hope you won't dare to tell me I should believe either."

The young monk stared at the assassin for what seemed like an eternity, her brow furrowed and her breathing slowly calming down from her earlier irritation. She had no trouble holding the man's gaze this time. No matter how unsettling his orange eye was, no matter how he intimidate her, she was simply too angry to care right now.

His expression softened and he sighed, looking away from the woman. "I'm sorry I angered you. But you asked, I answered. Obviously you and I are bound to disagree on this matter. It's not necessary for us to debate about it either. So let's just stay out of each other's beliefs, will you?"

Verica sighed after taking a deep calming breath. She hated to admit it, but he was probably right. Nothing good would come out of this, except maybe her punching a hole through his face after he pushed her over the edge with his blasphemous reasonings.

"...Fine." Verica whispered, looking down at her food and taking another bite. She decided to let the matter go. Obviously there was no point in arguing with this man. She didn't care about what he believed anyway. It was his lost. She was happy with her beliefs.

Really, any kind of conversation she tried to have with the man was definitely not a good idea...

Meiji nodded with a smile sigh, looking to the side at his sleeping pet. He poked him with his book, waking him up. The creature made a small sound of protest that his master ignored, getting up and putting the book back in his bag. "Get up. We're leaving."

"What? I'm not finished yet." Verica remarked, looking down at her food.

"You can eat while we walk." Was all he replied before putting his bag on his shoulders, along with the rest of his gear, making his mouth disappear behind his red scarf once again.

Verica pouted and sighed. What the hell was wrong with that man? She was really starting to regret her decision to travel with him, and it had only been a day.

She got up and shouldered her bag, eating the rest of her food in a hurry to follow the assassin and the little demon that turned toward her and smiled with a wave. Hell, even the demon was more social than that gloomy assassin...

And they started to walk again. In silence, again...

This journey was going to be much less interesting than she thought if it kept going like this...

But barely a few minutes after they had begun to walk, Meiji stopped on the road, Verica almost bumping into him by the way he froze so suddenly.

"What is it now?" She asked, still irritated as she looked where he was looking.

Her head moved back when she saw a small red scorpion on the side of the road, facing them. It almost looked like he was staring at them. She looked up at Meiji with a questioning gaze, wondering why he had stopped because of the little creature.

"What's wrong?" She tried again to have an answer, but the man simply kept staring at the scorpion with a deep frown. Even Daniel looked at it with interest and a serious face. And so Verica simply looked at the scorpion as well, wondering if there was something she wasn't seeing and starting to feel a bit stupid. Was she supposed to understand something?

The scorpion turned, facing north. Meiji looked up in the direction it faced and frowned even more as he sighed. His baphomet jr. mumbled something that made his master nod. "I know."

"What's going on?" Verica asked in an annoyed tone. She was really tired of all those mysteries and secret conversation. She would very much like to understand too.

The white haired man looked back at his new female traveling companion, stared at her for a few second without a word, then closed his eye dismissively. "It's nothing. Let's keep going." He said as he started to walk again, ignoring her indignant look.

"Y-...I-...Urg..." She groaned and shook her head, throwing her hands in the air in irritation. "You are unbearable..." She mumbled. Either he didn't hear her, or did but didn't think it was necessary to reply to her accusation. They moved past the scorpion, Verica still looking at it and trying to understand what the fuck it was supposed to mean. She was really starting to think this man was simply unable not to be mysterious about every fucking things!

* * *

><p>The rest of the road was pretty calm, except for the few monsters that attacked them here and now, but the days followed one another without incident and in silence. Verica was too pissed at the man to try to strike another conversation. She found herself not even caring anymore. That moment with the scorpion just sealed the deal with her. This guy was an anti social jerk who had no idea how to behave with other people. No matter how cool he seemed at first, she was starting to realize there was absolutely nothing cool about his behavior now. It was just irritating really. And their conversation about God made her completely close the door about him. Who did he think he was? No. Definitely, he and her were probably NEVER going to get along on a friendly level. The only reason why she still followed him was because he knew his way around like he was traveling in his own house and his fighting skills were making her feel pretty safe. She seriously hoped she was going to meet more interesting person in Al De Baran that would be willing to join her in her quest...<p>

They walked, eat, walked again and made camp in the fields every day. No sign of those bandits the blacksmith had talked about. She was starting to let her guard down. They would arrive in Al De Baran by the end of the day for sure, and surely the bandits were not camping so close to the city.

And right when she was starting to think they would be fine, she felt them.

She stopped walking with a small gasp, concentrating on the presences she felts. Meiji stopped as well, turning toward her with a confused expression at first, but quickly remembering his companion's ability. His brow furrowed, his body tensing with the promise of incoming trouble.

"You're feeling someone?" He whispered.

"Yes..." She replied, her annoyance with the man still showing in the cold way she replied to him. "They are very close. I can't tell how many they are exactly. Between 7 and 10 I'd say. I'm not sure."

"That's more information than we need." He said back, ignoring her angry tone. "Do you think we can avoid them?"

"No, they're probably already seeing us. I can't feel people from a very big distance. They're all hidden a little further." She said, pointing north subtly.

"I'm surprised they are staying so close to the city." Meiji commented, voicing out Verica's thoughts. "In any case, let's meet them. I doubt it's anything I can't handle."

"Yeah, because you're just that powerful right?" She scoffed as she rolled her eyes. That man was so full of himself.

"You can stay here if you prefer and let me handle it." He replied, ignoring her witty comment.

"What? No fucking way? Who do you think you are?!" She yelled in anger. "I'm as able to fight as you are!"

"Then let's stop chatting and go." The tall man said with a shrug, ignoring her little outburst. Verica scowled and looked down at Daniel, who was looking at her with an apologetic expression. Obviously he felt bad for his master's attitude.

"Is this jerk always like that?" She mumbled to the demon.

He made a face that meant something like "pretty much" before he sighed and followed his master. Verica groaned in exasperation and followed her two companions, trying to brush her annoyance away to keep a clear mind for the battle ahead.

They ventured a little deeper into the partly flooded field of Mt. Mjolnir, Meiji killing the Mantis trying to attack him quickly. Verica could see he was looking everywhere around him, trying to see signs of the enemy.

"There's someone in the bushes there. And another one back there" She whispered as she subtly pointed with her head. "The others are circling us."

Meiji nodded as he kept walking. "A pretty useful ability you have there. Especially against thieves with hiding skills."

"...Thanks." A small bubble of pride popped in her brain, but she tried to repress it. She didn't want to be praised by that jerk. She didn't need his praise. She didn't give a fuck what he thought...

"When I tell you, use Ruwach to make them appear." He commanded in a whisper.

Verica nodded. At first she was offended at being told what to do, but the logical part of her brain told her it was what she would have done too. It would have been childish and useless to argue about who was commanding who.

They took a few more steps, getting closer to the bandits hidden in the bushes. Verica reached for her knuckle, her heart beating faster with each second. Now this would surely be a more interesting fight. A few more steps and the signal came in a whisper as Meiji turned on his heel.

"Now."

The young monk summoned her spiritual energy to cast Ruwach, forcing the bandits out of their hiding and cloaking state. Angry scowls surrounded them and Meiji immediately rushed to the strongest looking one of the gang; another assassin cross that frowned deeply at him. The rest of them engaged into battle as well, seeing as those victims had no intention of giving away their money peacefully. The assassin cross activated his katars, blocking Meiji's blow with them and started to fight him. 3 thieves and 2 rogues joined the battle, but Meiji easily defended himself against all of them.

Verica frowned at how none of them attacked her. But then remembered about the two others hidden in the bushes. She turned around just in time to avoid an arrow thrown at her by an archer, still half hidden in the bushes. A knight got out of the other bushes and ran toward her, his sword ready to slash her. She jumped away to avoid the blow, her eyes jumping from him to the other. She tried to keep the knight between her and the other archer, making it harder for him to aim her without shooting at this friend. She wanted to cast pneuma to protect herself from the archer, but the other bandits was making her move too much. She wouldn't be able to stay in it anyway. The knight managed to cut her arm lightly, but she backed off and healed herself immediately, glaring at the tall man in armor as she tried to catch her breath. It was hard to keep her attention on both at the same time.

The knight smiled at the woman, his sword ready to attack again. "What a cute little monk we have here."

"We'll see if I'm still cute when I punch your soul out of your body." she spat as she summoned a spiritual sphere. She wished she was a champion right now, so she could summon her 5 spheres all at once...

The knight laughed at her little comment. "Oh I want to see you try girl."

He jumped to the side suddenly, giving his friend a perfect view of her to allow him to shoot. She should have casted pneuma then. She should have, but her brain didn't react quickly enough and made her jump to avoid it instead. She was not used to real combat against anything else than another monk and making decisions in the heat of battle was harder in this kind of setting. Her dodging manoeuvre was too late and she got the arrow right in her leg. She groaned in pain, but didn't have much time to recover as the knight attacked her again, his grin mocking her. She backed off as she whined, removing the arrow from her leg with a scowl once she was at a safe distance from the knight.

The Archer fired other arrows at her, but this time she casted pneuma without hesitation, making the archer scowl. Before the knight could reach her, she got out of the pneuma area effect and threw her spiritual sphere at the archer. He groaned in pain, closing his eyes for a moment. It gave Verica a few seconds to summon 2 other spheres and use body relocation to reappear behind the knight, the archer still in the process of getting his bow ready to attack her again. She looked at the man's armor. A big, heavy armor. Lots of defence, and probably a very endurant man under it...

"_When your opponent has too much defence, Occult Impaction will allow you to deal a strong physical hit. The stronger the armor of your enemy, the stronger Occult Impaction will be. Keep that in mind."_

In those moment, she was grateful for remembering so well Kenneth's lessons.

She pressed her hand against the man's back and consumed her spiritual sphere to use Occult Impaction. The man screamed in pain and dropped his sword on the ground, falling to his knees as he cursed under his breath.

Verica turned toward the archer, not forgetting about him. He shot another arrow at the monk, which she received in her arm this time. The adrenaline soothed the pain away and she didn't even bothered to remove it as she summoned another sphere to teleport to him. She punched the archer in the face and removed the arrow from her body, pushing it back into the archer's arm. He groaned and Verica hit him in the stomach quickly, stealing his breath away and forcing him to his knees, holding his stomach.

The knight came back and swung his sword at Verica, the woman avoiding it at the last minute. She got cut on the arm again, but she quickly counterattacked, punching the knight in the face and breaking his nose in the process. She summoned another sphere and used occult impaction once more, making the big man fall to the ground. A few more punches to the man's face was enough to make him unconscious.

The young woman tried to catch her breath for a second, but the archer didn't let her. Right when he was about to get an arrow ready, she ran to him and jumped, kicking his face violently and sending him to the land of dreams along with his knight friend.

Verica straightened up, taking a deep breath and healing herself. But she didn't allow herself much rest. The sound of battle behind her caught her attention and she turned around to see how Meiji was doing.

The two assassin cross were still fighting each other, the others bandits laying on the ground except one thief who was struggling to fight the baphomet jr. The little demon was obviously playing around with his prey...

It was hard to see if Meiji was hurt, with all that dry blood on him and his ruined clothes. The two assassins seemed on equal ground, both beaten and both losing their breath. Verica wasn't sure if it was a good idea for her to jump in the battle against an assassin cross, so she decided to help her companion instead. Summoning her spiritual energy with a deep breathe, she casted blessing and increase agility on the assassin.

Meiji froze a second as he felt Verica's spell on him, turning his head to look at her. He nodded briefly in a silent thanks and blocked a blow from his opponent. Pushing the man away from him, he used his increased strength and dexterity to attack the bandit more precisely. The other assassin started having trouble following with his new speed and when Meiji used sonic blow, katar's strikes following each other at amazing speed, the enemy found himself overwhelmed and was gravely wounded to his stomach.

He moaned in pain and counterattacked, trying to slash Meiji in the face. The blow only took his sakkat off his head as he dodged and the bandit staggered away, holding his stomach.

But then his eyes widened.

"...You?" He whispered as he stared at Meiji's face. The white haired man frowned at him and ran to deliver the fatal blow. The assassin cross quickly reached in his pockets, taking a butterfly's wing out of it that he waved in the air. He was immediately teleported away, making Meiji's katar slash through the air...

Meiji straightened up and retracted his katar, his chest moving up and down quickly as he tried to catch his breath. He looked around him a moment.

"Is he still near?"

"...No. He probably teleported to a city." Verica replied, narrowing her eyes at him. That assassin cross seemed to know Meiji. Not only that, he seemed horrified to see him...

"Shit..." Meiji cursed as he ran a hand over his face.

"Do you know him?" She asked, perplexed.

"No... But he probably recognized me. And that could mean trouble, depending on where he teleported..."

"Recognized you?"

Meiji sighed and looked back at Verica. "It's complicated..." He was about to say something else when he saw Daniel still playing around with the thief. He scowled and yelled at his pet.

"Get this over with already!"

Daniel looked up at his master, pouted and jumped on the poor thief who was completely out of breath. He killed it in a second, his body falling on the ground headless.

Verica gasped with wide eyes. "He killed him!" She yelled in horror as she watched the man's head roll on the ground.

"...Of course he did." Meiji replied matter of factly, still catching his own breathe. He looked at the two bandits Verica had fought with. "I see you didn't though..."

The archer was slowly coming to his sense, groaning and moaning on the ground. Verica shot a glare at the assassin, who was slowly walking toward the man laying on the floor.

"Of course I didn't. I don't kill people!" She spat, looking back at the rogues Meiji had fought. She had to repress another gasp when she noticed the puddles of blood forming under their bodies. "W-why did you kill them?!"

Meiji reached the young arched and activated his katar. He crouched behind him and grabbed his hair with one hand while he slid his katar across his throat, sending him to join his other bandits friends.

Verica raised her hand in front of her mouth and looked away. She was remembered of this time, many years ago in the prontera forest, when this assassin lady had cut the head of that stalker right before her eyes. It had been troubling to watch, but back then her mind was too settled on a dying Kenneth to fully realize what had happened. This just now was simply gruesome, she couldn't dare to look...oh God she could still hear the man fight for air and choke on his own blood. Then nothing... and the archer died, simply, just like that. Verica glanced back to see him laying on the ground, eyes wide open and throat red...

She saw Meiji walked up to the knight, pick up his sword and held it in the air to swing it at the man's head.

"Don't!" Verica yelled but too late. The sword fell on the knight and she looked away, only hearing the disgusting sound the metal made as it cut through the man's flesh. She took a shaky breath and a small whine past her lips as she looked back at the dead man. Meiji let the sword dropped to the ground with a sigh, whipping his forehead with the back of his hand as he walked to his sakkat. He put it back on his head and whistled to make Daniel come back. The assassin looked around him one last time before starting to walk toward Al De Baran.

"Let's keep moving now." He said, oblivious to the horrified look on Verica's face. But when he noticed she wasn't following, he stopped and turned toward her with a raised brow. "Are you going to stand in front of their corpses all day?"

Verica's gaze left the dead knight to settle on the assassin cross, her eyes wide and her breathing uneven. Meiji frowned at the younger woman for a long moment. "What is it?"

"W-why did you kill them?" she asked, barely above a whisper, holding Meiji's gaze.

"...Why wouldn't I?" He replied, obviously not understanding the question.

"They were unconscious." She continued, looking back at the archer. "They represented no threat to you anymore... " Her voice was starting to shake and her features changing from indignation to anger.

"If I hadn't killed them, they would have come to their sense eventually and probably kill other travelers less skilled." The assassin remarked.

"But that is not for you to decide." Verica said, shooting a glare at the tall man and her voice growing louder. "Whether they live or not doesn't depend on you!"

Meiji turned fully toward her, tilting his head to the side with his eye narrowed at the monk. "You would have let them live?"

"Of course!" She yelled back. "I don't just kill people like this! A life is a life! It's what I've been taught! I'm not the one to choose if someone dies or lives!"

"What you've been taught?" Meiji scoffed lightly, obviously confused by all this. "You've been taught to fight, but not to kill? Seems contradictory to me."

"You don't always have to kill! You didn't have to kill just now!" She repeated, pointing toward the lifeless body of the knight. "My teacher always told me that killing another human was unnatural. That it would hunt me for the rest of my life. Humans were not meant to kill each other!"

"If this is what your teacher taught you, then your teacher is an idealistic fool who knows nothing of real life."

Verica's breath caught in her lungs, anger exploding in her chest as her fists tightened. She struggled to keep her fury inside her and she closed her eyes, taking deep breaths to calm herself. "You don't know shit about my teacher, so don't talk about him as if you did." She said through clenched teeth.

Meiji stared at her, impassive as always. He sighed deeply before speaking in his soft apologetic voice. "My apologies. I simply don't understand what's wrong here. Those men attacked me, I defended myself. They shouldn't have attacked me if they didn't want me to kill them."

The younger woman scoffed at him, not believing she was really hearing this. "That is so illogical!"

"Illogical? I'm not sure you know what this word means." Meiji said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Illogical means lack of logic. Logic is a way to analyse and reason properly without referring to meaning, context or emotions. A man tries to kill me, I kill him instead. It is fair, just and safe. I don't see what is illogical in this."

Verica stared at the assassin with her mouth opened and wide eyes. She shook her head and laughed sarcastically. "This is... that is not fair. Those men didn't deserve to die just because they attacked you. You can't just decide that. God doesn't want us to kill each other."

That got a reaction out of the man. He raised a brow at the woman and nodded. "My apologies. I thought we were being logical. If you want to bring God in the reasoning, then I'm afraid you'll have to refrain from using words such as 'logical' or 'fair', because that would simply be contradictory. "

"What is that supposed to mean?" She spat back with a glare, her fists tightening again on each side of her.

Meiji sighed and closed his eye. "This conversation went from me killing a bandit to the dichotomy between logic reasoning and God's truth. And it is an unnecessary debate to have with you. So let just keep moving, if you don't mind." He said, obviously fed up with this conversation and having no intention of continuing it.

Verica stared at him incredulously. A million of thoughts battled in her head to reach her mouth, most of them being surge of insults directed at this assassin jerk.

But she was better than that. This man simply wasn't worth it. She could stay here all day and try to make him understand how wrong he was, he would probably never see it. She was a monk, she was at peace, she was a model of serenity. It was evident he and her were incompatible. But it was not her job to try to change him.

So she took yet another deep breath, closing her eyes in a small meditation of a few seconds to collect her thoughts.

"Very well." She whispered, glancing back at Meiji. "Let's keep going then."

She started walking, moving past Meiji and bumping his shoulder on the way. The tall man ignored the small display of annoyance and simply turned on his heels to follow the angry woman, his face as emotionless as ever.

* * *

><p>After a few hours of travel through the fields, Verica and Meiji finally arrived to Al De Baran, the promised land. A luxurious city filled with trees and water, hidden between a desolate rocky plain and the rugged Mt. Mjolnir. A place of peace where many travelers stop to rest before continuing their journey north to the Schwartzwald Republic, or south to Rune Midgard. The big clock tower in the middle of the city immediately caught Verica's attention, lit by the sunset and surrounded by windmills around the city. A beautiful place indeed, but Verica had too much on her mind right now to really appreciate it.<p>

The moment they stepped in the city she turned toward Meiji, fists on her hips and eyes glaring at the tall man.

"Alright. I think it's safe to say that you and I won't ever get along." She said as calmly as she could manage. Meiji simply raised a brow at the woman, not understanding. She crossed her arms over her chest and continued. "This not going to work. I'm sorry, but you're an awful traveling companion. You're getting on my nerve every time we start a conversation, you obviously think my beliefs about God are ridiculous and your heartless attitude toward human lives is honestly disgusting me."

The assassin listened to her without any kind of reaction. If anything, he didn't even seem to listen. She could see his eye looking around them and never focusing on her. At this point she was far from caring though, so she simply continued her little speech.

"So I'm very grateful to you for bringing me here. It would have taken me a lot more time without you. But I'm going to continue on my own from now."

Now that god a reaction. Meiji's eye snapped back to Verica with an hint of surprise. He frowned as he hesitated. "Are you sure this is-"

"I know you think you're in debt toward me. And I appreciate the concern." She interrupted him. "But believe me, this is not going to work. You brought me here, so it's fine. Your debt is paid. You don't owe me anything anymore. You can move on and keep killing people and be a jerk on your own, I'm not going to Juno with you, period." She finished, her tone more aggressive than she intended it to be.

"I don't think that's a good idea..." Meiji replied slowly, his eye still looking around them. Verica tried to see what he was looking at, but didn't see anything peculiar. She sighed as she glanced back at him.

"I don't care what you think. I'm sorry, but at this point I don't care anymore. Again I'm very grateful to you for bringing me here and protecting me, but our collaboration ends here. That's all there is to it."

The assassin stared at her for a long moment. He seemed to be thinking deeply about something. After what seemed like an eternity he closed his eye and held his hand out to her.

"Very well. If this is what you wish, I'll do as you say. Good luck in your quest."

Verica blinked in surprise. Well, he was quick to change his mind. She grabbed his hand and shook it politely as his baphomet jr. mumbled something that obviously looked like protests, but the older man promptly ignored him.

"I hope you won't get into any trouble." He finished as he turned around and left.

Verica stayed where she was, a little confused and staring at his back as he walked down the street. His baphomet jr. was following behind him, glancing back at the young woman with a sad face and obviously protesting about this turning of event. The man seemed to be completely ignoring him and soon he disappeared behind a building.

She scoffed a little. This man was probably the strangest man she had ever met. The way she met him was already out of the ordinary; the way they were parting was kind of strange as well. A handshake and that's it? Well, she didn't know what more she was expecting really. It was probably the more she could get. Not that she cared at this point. She was just happy not to be with him anymore.

Even though she had to admit that the warm feeling of his presence suddenly gone like this made her feel a bit cold...

She brushed her thoughts away and turned on her heels, deciding that it was best to forget about him. She only hope she was never going to see him again. As she looked around her, she felt a little uneasy though; finding herself all alone once again...

Well, better be alone than in bad company.

She looked around the city, her eyes trying to take in everything. For a short moment she wondered if this was really a good decision. She had no idea where to go from here, without the assassin cross to guide her...

But nevermind that. She would just go to the inn, find a room, and search for new companions. Al De Baran was full of adventurers. Surely she would find people who are going to Juno. People with whom she would get along with better than with this man...

She spotted a city guard and asked him where the inn was. Once she received her indications she started to walk in the city to find her way. The streets were still pretty busy, despite the late hour, showing how Al De Baran was a very lively city. She was simply moving in the direction she had been told, admiring the buildings and wonders of the city, when the voice of a child caught her attention.

She turned around, spotting a young boy dressed in rags looking at her and waving his hand at her. He looked terrified and in panic.

"Lady! Please lady!" He was yelling for her to come. Verica had no second thoughts and ran to the boy.

"What is it?"

"Lady! You're monk aren't you? You know how to heal people don't you?" The boy asked, holding his hands together as if he was praying. "Please you have to help us. My brother has been attacked by thieves. He's injured farther down the back alleys. I don't know what to do. Please you have to help him! I don't want him to die!"

The boy was crying as he pleaded for her to help him. Verica's brain immediately kicked in action. If someone was in danger, she would do everything she can to help. She looked behind him at the alleys for a few seconds, then around her to see if there were any guards close by. There were none, but even if the thieves were still there she could probably neutralize them on her own. She looked back at the boy with a smile. "It's ok. Just show me where he is. I'll do what I can to save him."

The boy's eyes grew wide as he smiled. "Thank you! Thank you! Come quickly! Here's back there!"

Verica followed the little boy in the alley, her heart overwhelmed with adrenaline. She paid no attention to her surrounding and simply followed the boy to his brother. She didn't know how badly injured he was, so they needed to hurry. She didn't want to arrive there only to find him already dead or in the window...

But after she turned another corner, she met with an assassin cross, blocking the alley. He was looking straight at her and had obviously no intention to let her pass.

She scowled and was about to warn the boy not to get closer, but her eyes grew wider when she saw him ran right to the assassin, without fear. He stopped in front of him and the older man patted him on the head.

"Thank you boy. Here's for your trouble." He said as he gave him a few zeny. The little boy didn't even look back at Verica and ran in the opposite direction with his money.

'Shit...'. Now she felt stupid. That was pretty naive of her...

Verica felt three other people behind her. This was not good. Not good at all.

The assassin in front of her nodded toward her as he spoke.

"Is she the woman you saw with him?"

"Yes. That's her. She was helping him." A familiar voice said behind her. She turned around and saw the assassin cross Meiji had fought earlier, looking at her with a scowl. 2 other assassins were beside him.

The young monk looked back at the man in front of her. "If this is about Meiji, I have nothing to do with him and I don't know where he is n-"

She was cut short by a powerful blow on her head, making her fall to her knees. She had no time to react before a bag was put on her head and her arms were tied behind her back with ropes. She screamed insults and trashed around, but her head got hit again, making her fall to the ground with a grunt and on the verge of consciousness.

"Sorry girl." She heard faintly above her. "This is nothing personal. You just hanged out with the wrong guy. A guy with a shit load of trouble stuck up his ass." She felt herself being picked up from the ground and something pierced through the skin of her neck. Like a needle. "You just have to come with us like a good girl and answer our questions. Then nothing bad will happen to you." Her head started to feel fuzzy and her body went numb, her mind soon following and after a few seconds she lost consciousness as he body was being carried away.

* * *

><p>Meiji's reading from his book was a citation from epicurus, a greek philosopher. At least from what I know, it was epicurus who said that. It's a quote I personally really like, and I felt like it fitted very well here to show Meiji's vision of Verica's beliefs. Once again, it is by no mean an attack against believers. Everyone is free to believe in anything he wants and I don't judge that. I respect it deeply. This is just for the purpose of characters who have their own opinions. Opinions that are not necessarily mines, may I add. Thank you again for reading :) Next chap is probably going to take a while though because I'll be pretty busy for the next months.<p> 


	36. 5:Meeting the real world

I apologize for the late updates. Very very very very late updates. 4 months… ouch. I'm ashamed of myself and I'm sorry. I'm finishing my bachelor degree this year. It's a lot of job. A lot more than I thought it would be.

But I stand by what I said before. Maybe it will take years to finish this. But I will. I hope you can stick around long enough. But still, I hope it can be done in a reasonable amount of time.

The problem when it takes you so long to write a fic is that as you read it again, you realize that there are so many things you would do differently. But I don't have the time to start this over. Also this chap seems a bit… rusty to me. It's been so long since I've written anything.

anyway. Here it is. A small chapter. Not much happening. But eh, it's something XD

A very sincere thank you to the people still following this thing.

Also. This is not edited… sorry.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 36 Meeting the real world<strong>

'...Where am I?'

A wooden floor appeared in front of Verica's eyes as she slowly opened them. Her head felt heavy as she tried to look up without success. She could see her knees and as she tilted her head to the side, she saw her feet tied to the legs of the chair she was sitting on. Her hands behind her back remained immobile no matter how she tried to move them, the rope around her wrist rubbing uncomfortably against her skin.

Her throat was dry and she coughed, trying to get rid of the sensation. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the light in the room and with an incredible effort, she managed to raise her head to look around her.

The first thing she saw was a man with short brown hair sitting in front of her on a chair. When he saw her move he leaned in toward her, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Welcome back."

Verica's gaze focused on the man. Pale brown eyes looked back at her with curiosity and a smile pulled at his lips. She blinked and looked down, staring down at his assassin cross' clothings and his two daggers resting at his waist.

"I'm sorry for the way we're meeting young lady."

She looked up again with a frown. Her heart was beating angrily in her chest, yet her body felt numb. Where the hell was she, what happened?

She remembered the boy...and...

Shit...

Now she remembered. How could she have been so naive? Was she really that stupid? She didn't even think that it could have been a trap. Someone was in danger and she just jumped in. How foolish of her. At that moment she felt just like Meiji described her; a young naive girl who had no idea how the world worked. Just thinking about it was making her angry at herself. How could she be so stupid...

But now was not the time to indulge in self loathing. She returned her attention to her surrounding, noticing she was in what looked like the room of an inn. The curtains were drawn but apparently it was dark outside. Then she noticed the other men in the room; one standing behind the man on the chair, two sitting at the table a little further and the last one sitting on the bed. She recognized them as the ones in the back alleys. She quickly looked back to the assassin cross in front of her, her eyes narrowing at him in irritation.

"Who are you?" she asked with a glare.

"I'm not your enemy. If you cooperate, that is."

"What did you do to me." She shook her head as she tried to move her fingers. Her whole body felt strange.

"That's just the drug effect. Don't worry, it's nothing permanent."

"What do you want from me?" She spat in irritation, her breathing heavy, whether from anger or the drug she couldn't tell.

"There is no need to be so aggressive." The man said calmly, his smile still in place. It was a kind smile that would have made her at ease if it wasn't for the situation. "I merely want to talk with you. That's all."

"You don't need me to be tied up to talk to me..."

The other men in the room laughed at her comment.

"I'm afraid that freeing you implies too much risk for me at the moment." The man on the chair replied with a small sheepish laugh. "I need to know who you are first."

"Who I am?" She repeated with a frown. "Why do you care about who I am. What do you want?"

The man straightened up on his chair, making him look down at her. "I was told you entered this city with a man. An assassin cross. I was told you fought alongside him. Is is true?"

The young monk hesitated a moment. "...You're talking about Meiji?"

"...So you do know him." The assassin's eyes narrowed a fraction of a second before his smile widened.

"If you're looking for him, I have no idea where he is now." She said quickly, hoping to make things clear about that as soon as possible. Good God, what had she gotten herself into? She never should have agreed to travel with this assassin. He warned her, didn't he? He told her not to come with him; that he would only cause her trouble. But no, she didn't listen to him. No doubt those men were the trouble he spoke about. She was angry at herself for so many reasons right now.

"You don't know? Well, that remains to be proven." He said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "But before that, I need you to answer my question. Who the hell are you?"

Verica stared back at him in confusion. "I-I don't understand your question. I'm no one. I'm just a monk, I don't-"

"Let me rephrase that then. What is your relationship with him?" He interrupted her quickly.

"My... relationship?" She frowned and shook her head. "I have no link to him. I barely know him. I met him in the prontera forest. He was injured and I healed him. He was supposed to escort me to repay his debt to me." There was no use in lying here. She really didn't know him. The best was probably to simply tell the truth. Then they would see she had nothing to do with him. "Well... I asked him to escort me. He didn't want to at first. Because... of this."

That ignited the man's curiosity even more. "He told you about us?"

"No... he just said he had a lot of trouble following him. And that it would fall on me if I stayed with him."

"But you followed him anyway?" The man said with a raised brow. There was something in his tone Verica didn't like...

"I-I... I suppose I didn't believe him. I mean... I thought-" She interrupted herself before scowling at the man. "This is none of your business anyway!"

The man smiled and snorted before leaning in toward her. "Oh but it is." He locked his gaze with hers a he spoke in a low tone, his eyes narrowing at her but his smile still in place, changing his expression into a very unsettling one. "Everything related to him is my business young girl. Everything. From his whereabout to what he eats to who he fucks, that's all my business. If there is something to know about this man, I need to know it. And you, young girl, just became one of those things."

Verica's breathing was going shallow without her realizing it. This whole situation was not making any sense to her and it was starting to get scary. What was she supposed to tell them? She had nothing to do with that assassin jerk! Who were those men anyway?!

"B-but I have nothing to do with him." She stuttered, her hands squirming behind her to try to free herself in vain. "I don't know him at all. I don't know where he is either. I can't help you..."

"Maybe." The man said with a shrug as he leaned away. "Or maybe you're lying to protect him."

"I-I'm not! Why would I lie for him? I told you, I have nothing to do with him!" She was on the verge of yelling, as if it was going to make them understand. Obviously the man didn't want to believe her. What was she supposed to do now?

"Really? Then explain to me why you followed a complete stranger alone, an assassin cross no less, without knowing anything about him. From what I remember Meiji wasn't that charming. Or do you simply like danger that much?"

"T-that's... I-I don't..." What could she reply to that? That she found him cool so she wanted to know more about him and that's why she followed him? At this point she was ready to say pretty much anything, no matter how it would hurt her pride. It had seemed like such a good idea back then to travel with him. Now it was causing her so much trouble. She needed to find a way to get out of here. She couldn't break free, and even if she did, she couldn't fight all of them alone. Her only way out was to convince them she had nothing to do with Meiji and that she couldn't help them. Surely they would let her go then...

"It's alright." The man raised a hand in front of him gently to calm her, a long sighed escaping his lips as he smiled gently. "Sorry if I'm being so rude. It's not my intention to scare you, believe it or not. You must simply understand that I'm a desperate man and right now every little scrap of information I can get is a blessing. I need to capture this man, at any cost. I don't know what he told you, or what he made you believe. That's the only reason why you're tied up right now. But I promise, if you help me, I'll leave you alone and you won't hear about me again. Nor will you hear from him either."

Verica looked up at the assassin cross in confusion. What did he mean by that exactly?

"You want to capture him... or kill him?" She asked hesitantly. The man showed the same hesitation before he replied.

"Capture him. But... Obviously he's not going to let himself be captured so easily."

"But I don't understand..." She looked at the other men in the room who were listening to the interaction in silence, but all of them with their weapon ready. "If you want to capture him, why did you kidnap me instead? We arrived in the city together. You could have followed him instead of giving yourself so much trouble with me." Her gaze was full of confusion as she stared at the assassin. Really, that part made no sense to her.

"Follow him?" The assassin scoffed. He leaned his arms on his knees again, getting closer to the young woman. "Trying to follow this man is like trying to catch a petal caught in the wind. We lost track of him in the city only a few minutes after you parted. This man is a ghost. He's a snake, crawling its way through everything without being noticed. I've been tracking this man down for 3 years, young lady. He never leaves traces anywhere, he's always many steps ahead of us and even when I make contact with him, he always manage to escape my grasp."

He sighed and leaned back on his chair "So, as you can see, following you instead was much easier. And beside...it would have been stupid to ignore your existence."

"I'm not following you..."

The man laughed and smiled at the woman again. "As I said, I've been trying to capture this man for 3 years now. And in those 3 years, I've NEVER seen him with someone..."

Verica frowned at the assassin, still not understanding where he was going with this.

"He's always alone with his demon pet." he continued. "You're the first human being I've seen interacting with him like this. And from what you're telling me, you spent many days with him. That is new to me. I can't disregard that. Therefore I need to know who you are and why that cold hearted jerk suddenly felt the need to have company."

What was he even saying now? 3 years? Without being with someone else? How could he even survive in the wilds without companions? Well, she couldn't say she was that surprised. Meiji was obviously not a social butterfly. But for those men to have so much interest in her now, it meant he really wasn't kidding when he said "I usually travel alone". But if he was usually such a loner, why did he accept to travel with her then? Why make an exception for her? Simply because she saved his life? Why was he so adamant about repaying her anyway? He didn't seem like an honorable kind of man...

Or maybe yes. How could she know? She didn't know him at all. He could be a mass murderer for all she knew. If those men were trying to catch him no matter the cost, it was probably because he had done something really bad. But who were those men anyway?

"I still don't know what to tell you." Verica started, trying to remain calm and get herself out of this. She needed to make them understand she had no link with him. But at the same time, her curiosity was being hard to ignore. "But... who are you? Why are you after him? What did he do?"

"What do YOU know about him?" the man asked back.

"I... I know his name." She said after a moment of reflection. "And I know he has a lot of trouble. Something to do with..." Her eyes widened and she looked up at the assassin's brown eyes. "Wait... A-are you from the assassin's guild?"

The 5 men in the room reacted, their eyes narrowing and their body tensing. The man on the chair crossed his arms over his chest and his smile faded.

"What did he tell you exactly?"

"N-nothing. I just know that his genes are special for the assassin's guild and that's why he's in trouble. But that's all I know."

The leader of the assassins stared at her for a long moment as his body relaxed, so did the other men's. Obviously he was debating with himself if he should believe her or not. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Then I'm afraid he's been lying to you." He said in a low tone before looking back at Verica with a sad look. "Meiji has nothing special about him, except being extremely skilled and extremely addicted to killing. He's a VERY dangerous man. And really in his case the word dangerous is not strong enough. He's an assassin, like us yes, but that doesn't mean we enjoy killing. We do it because it's necessary. It's a job. In Meiji's case, it's a need. An addiction. He doesn't do it because he needs to. He does it because he likes it. Killing makes him feel alive. He was banished from the assassin's guild 3 years ago and was supposed to be imprisoned and executed. But he escaped. I've been trying to capture him since then."

Verica's mouth opened to say something but no sound came out as her eyes widened. Had she just heard correctly?

"And I'm sorry if he's been deceiving you." The man continued. "Again, I don't know the nature of your relationship with him, but believe me you're better off very far away from him."

"W-wait, I'm not sure I understand…" She shook her head and frowned, trying to make sense of all this. "So you're telling me that... he's a criminal?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

Was the outside world always so confusing? Was it possible to be even more foolish than she was? She'd been traveling with a crazy murderer for days! How could she have been so careless and stupid? It was probably a miracle if she was still alive. Of course the man seemed like he didn't mind killing, but she thought it was just something normal considering his assassin's profession. He was so polite. He seemed so sophisticated. His manners were so…

"So. Will you help me capture him?" The man asked, staring intensely at the young monk. "I need your help in this."

"I…" She trailed off. Even then, what was she supposed to tell them?

"It had been 3 months since I hadn't heard of him. Now I finally have him. I know he's still close. I need you to tell me where he's going."

"I-I know but I don't-"

"He may be killing someone right now, young lady. If you don't cooperate with me, you put a lot of people in danger. This is important." He was leaning on his knees, getting closer to Verica and staring at her as if it was possible for him to read her mind if he stared hard enough. Why was he so insistent? Couldn't he see that she didn't know anything?!

Her confusion probably showed in her expression, because the assassin leaned back on his chair and sighed with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to push you, nor scare you. I don't know... what he told you or how you feel about him. I realize this may be a lot to take in, a lot to acknowledge. Take your time to calm down a bit." he continued as he patted Verica's knee affectionately.

The girl looked up, their gaze meeting and his gentle smile clashing with his intimidating appearance. She stared at him, her breathing heavy, as she tried to give some kind of order to her thoughts. She had too many things to think about, too many ideas trying to have her attention at the same time in her head, her mind in complete chaos. Too much chaos, not enough peace.

Verica sighed as she bowed her head, looking down at her laps. She took deep breaths to calm herself. She was panicking. She had to remain calm. Everything was clearer with a peaceful mind. That's what she was supposed to have; a clear mind.

Closing her eyes and taking one last deep breath, she immobilized herself and tried to keep her breathing steady. The drug had left her a bit numb, but she still had all her head. She relaxed and cleared her mind, concentrating on the energy flowing in her system and pooling in her stomach. She made abstraction of the other presences around her and focused on her own, on her own body, on her own existence. The position was not comfortable, but it didn't stop her from entering a state of semi meditation. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to clear the fog. Ideas went back to their places in her head and soon she was able to look at the bigger picture and make sense of all this.

Meiji was a criminal with assassins trying to capture him. That's what this man was telling her. A very skilled assassin able to escape his brothers, hide, and survive in the wilds alone for 3 years. A madman, enjoying the sound of humans taking their last breath and the smell of blood on his hands.

But was she really able to believe this?

She didn't like him. Therefore it would be right to say her personal feelings were not getting in the way of her judgment. And her judgment was making her doubt those men a lot.

If Meiji really was the murderer they made him appear, why was she still alive? She spent many days with him, slept beside him. If he really was a mad killer, he would have killed her as well. No matter if she saved his life and he had a debt toward her, it shouldn't have stopped him.

But maybe that fact did stopped him. Maybe this was enough for him to make an exception and let her live.

Although even if that was the case, why didn't he kill the blacksmith on the road? He was right behind the unsuspecting man. He could have killed him, but he didn't, because he judged that it wasn't necessary. A crazy murderer doesn't question himself to know if it's necessary to kill someone.

But maybe it was not to raise any suspicions from her. Maybe he repressed his urge to kill him, not to let his real nature show in front of her. He didn't seem particularly crazy when he fought the bandits either. Simply a man doing his job, what he had been taught to do. Was this an act too?

Still, he protected her. Against the monsters, even weak ones. He made it his duty not to let any of them reach her.

And the way he behaved. His manner of speech. His choice of literature. His knowledge. His personality. Of course, all of this could have only served as a facade to hide his true nature... but she still found it hard to believe that under this sophisticated and calm man hid a madman.

And his presence...

His presence felt so warm. A dark, twisted murderer couldn't have such a comforting feeling coming out of him. She refused to believe it. Maybe he wasn't the most social man, nor the most morally white and honorable. Maybe he and she had very different views of the world that couldn't coexist. Maybe he was a complete jerk that she couldn't stand.

But she couldn't find it in herself to believe he was a crazy criminal killing people for fun and so dangerous that even the assassin's guild wanted to end him. Beside, the assassin's guild was not known for caring about the ones gone rogue in their ranks. They let their criminals roam rune midgard, because they never considered it their responsibility to take care of them. Or at least that's what she had been told. Was Meiji really that dangerous that they were making an exception?

Daniel said the reason why the guild wanted him was because of his gene, whatever that meant. If he had lied, why would Meiji had taken the paper from his hands and crumbled it. Why did he look so upset about it. Why did he denied it, instead of going along with the lie and making sure she would believe him, and not those men.

And those men...

They said they came after her because he was impossible to track. That they lost him. That they had never seen him with anyone and thought she was someone important.

But one of those men was outside Al De Baran. In a group of thieves attacking travelers. If those assassins really were good ones, why were they doing such things? Did she really want to trust a man who had a bandit under his command?

And why did they pay a little kid to lure her in a back alley, instead of simply coming to see her and ask?

Because they didn't know the nature of her relationship with him and thought that she would not cooperate.

They thought that maybe she was important to him...

If so, then this whole setup was starting to look much more like a hostage taking.

Verica's eyes opened and she rose her head, meeting the assassin's smile once again. Now it made more sense. They didn't really care about any information she could have about him. Beyond this, they just wanted to use her as a bait.

Well, they were going to be disappointed. Because Meiji was probably far away by now. And it's not like he knew what happened to her. Even if he did, she doubted he would risk being captured just to help her.

"Are you alright?" The man asked calmly. "I know this is not easy to accept. But the sooner you do, the easier it will be. Help me catch him. Tell me where he is, where he's going, or any information you have on him, and then I can untie you."

There he was being all gentle and friendly again. But she didn't know him more than she knew Meiji. Why should she believe them more than him? Meiji never drugged her nor tied her up.

As much as she didn't like him, she had no reasons to believe he was the criminal these men were making him appear…

"As I said I'm short on time, young lady." The assassin said, urging her to reply. "I need answers."

Verica looked up at him, taking a deep breath and trying to express her thoughts properly.

"I understand." She started. "Unfortunately, I have no reasons to believe you."

"Excuse me?"

"You have no proof of what you're saying. From what I saw of Meiji… he didn't seem like the man you're describing."

"Maniacs never look like maniacs" The man said with a laugh.

"I know… but honestly you all look much more shady than he did." She stated as she looked at the other men in the room.

The leader leaned back on his chair with a surprised expression while she continued. "He protected me. I have no reasons to doubt him, except that he's a jerk. But that's no valid reason. If anything, he's always been very honest with me, even with subject he knew I would disagree with. The man I travelled with doesn't fit the description you're giving me."

The man snorted and shook his head. "They never do. That's-"

"And while he certainly wasn't a saint, he's not the one who drugged a girl in a back alley to tie her up in an inn room." She paused a moment, hesitating to voice her last thought. But it was a bit too late now. "To me, you look more like bad guys then he did."

The assassins remained silent and frowned at her intensely, except for their leader who still had a stunned expression on his face. His shoulders relaxed and he sighed, his smile coming back to his lips.

"I see. I understand. Can't say I blame you for not trusting me." He said in a gentle voice. He got up from his chair slowly, sighing again.

Verica let go of a long shaky breath. She closed her eyes a moment to remain calm and try to soothe her headache. How the hell was she going to get out of here. She probably didn't help her case just now. But-

A shooting pain passed through her face and her vision flashed white, interrupting her thoughts.. Her arm hurt a second later and her head too as she hit it on something hard. She blinked, her mouth opened in shock and pain. She rested on the ground, on her side, still tied to the chair. Her cheek was burning and her jaw was throbbing. She moaned faintly as she closed her eyes to make the dizziness go away. Did he just...

"I'm really sorry that you're seeing things that way." The man said above her, rubbing his hand. "I wish we could have gotten along you and I."

The taste of iron distracted her from what the man was saying. She coughed and spat in front of her, getting rid of the blood in her mouth. Her breathing grew heavy once again as her panic came back. She saw his hand grab the collar of her coat and yank her back up, the chair landing back on the floor with a loud thud. She saw him hovering above her and as she looked up at his face, she felt like it was not the same man. His smile was nowhere to be seen this time…

The hand at her collar moved up to the back of the chair as he leaned in toward her. Verica looked away in panic, her heart beating crazily in her chest, but the assassin grabbed her jaw with this hand and forced her to look back at him. She grunted and winced from the pain in her face.

"I'm going to ask one last time. Tell me where he is and where he's going."

"B-but I don't know..." She managed to say between pants.

"You don't seem to understand what's going on right now." He hissed, his face getting closer to hers and his fingers squeezing her jaw. "I have no use for you if what you say is true. I want to know what you know. And if you don't have any useful information, I can still use you to lure him here. If indeed you have no link to him and you're no one, which I highly doubt, then I REALLY have no use for you. So before saying that you don't know anything, I suggest you reconsider the situation, think about how much you value your life and act in the best interest of it." He let go of her face violently as he leaned away, straightening up.

Verica let go of the breath she'd been holding, slowly calming down. There was no use in panicking now. The slap surprised her and made her heart race, but now she had to stay calm. The man was obviously done talking. Whatever had caused this change of attitude. A second ago he was all friendly and now he was slapping her. Apparently she'd been right. Those men were not from the assassin's guild. Even if they were, they obviously weren't good people. She didn't know if what they said about Meiji was true, but as far as she was concerned they were no better than him.

"What happened to the friendly assassin?" She whispered, running her tongue over her lips to remove the blood.

"The friendly assassin would have remained friendly if you had acted friendly. But obviously you're just messing with me, playing dumb. You have no intention to cooperate. But that's fine. If I can at least make him come here, it will be a nice chance to get him."

Verica snorted as she looked up at the man. "Come for me? I think you're the one who's got to reconsider the situation. I don't know what you're assuming, but he's not going to come for me. We parted once we entered Al De Baran. He won't search for me."

"I don't believe that." The assassin replied in a small laugh. He took the chair and placed it closer to the young monk before sitting back on it. "He wouldn't have put up with you if you weren't special. You say you saved his life and that's why he escorted you, to repay his debt. Once upon a time, I would have believed that. Once upon a time, I would have believed his sense of honor would have pushed him to do something like this. But not now. Not after 3 years. I didn't lie to you. In 3 years I've never seen him with anyone. Not like this. Merchants, barmaids, blacksmiths, yes. Of course he interacts with those people. But he never stays with anyone for more than a few hours. He never travels with anyone. I've never seen him enter a city with someone."

The other men in the room were listening with frowns, staring at the girl. She listened as well, not knowing what else to do. The brown haired man looked away as he sighed and passed a hand over his mouth.

"And now you just appear. Out of nowhere. A pretty young monk fighting alongside him. And he trusted you enough to sleep beside you and travel with you." He laughed again. "This man doesn't trust anyone. If you were nobody, he would have ignored you, or gut you in your sleep on the first night. And if what you say is true and you really parted ways once you arrived here, he would have never let you go. He would have gotten rid of you. You saw too much of him. You know his whereabout. He would have never trusted informations like these to a stranger and let her live. You can tell me whatever the fuck you want little girl, but no way in hell you're making me believe that you're no one…"

The assassin's gaze never left Verica's and she stared back in utter confusion. She took in all this information, but didn't attach much sense to it. She had no explanation to give him. She had no idea why he travelled with her. She saved his life, that's the reason she knew, but this man didn't believe her apparently...

"Now..." The assassin stood and walked behind Verica, his hands slapping down on both of her shoulders as he bent down to talk in her ear. "Now that we've made things clear, let's stop pretending we know nothing. I'm going to ask you gently one more time and I want you to tell me every little scrap of information you have on him. Any little detail, even if you think it's not important. And if you know where he is, where he's planning to go, I strongly suggest you to share this information as well. As I said, I'm a desperate man and anything you can tell me will be useful to me." He took her chin between his finger to make her look at him. "If you help me, I'll let you go I swear."

"But I have nothing to tell you. I don't know anything." Verica said as calmly as she could, despite having the man's face so close to hers. She really had nothing to tell them. Meiji didn't say anything in all those days of travels. And even if she knew something, she wasn't sure she really wanted to help those men. Who knows if what they were saying was true?

The assassin's hand squeezed her shoulder and his thumb brushed against her chin as he smiled "Very well. Then you'll stay here. And we'll all wait together to see if our friend shows up or not, and see if what you're saying is true. And in the meantime, we're going to verify if you really don't know anything."

She barely had time to register what he had said that she felt the chair tilt forward. Her heart jumped in her chest as she saw the floor coming quickly toward her face. She closed her eyes and turned her head, trying to put her arms in front of her to protect herself only to be reminded of her binds. Her temple hit the floor painfully as she moaned, hearing the other men laugh in the room. She fell so quickly that her knees did little to absorb the shock. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to move in vain, a horrible throb spreading in her head.

"You better start thinking fast little girl." The man said behind her. He grabbed the chair's back and pulled it back straight, grabbing her ponytail to help him and making her wince in pain. "I hope for you that you do have something to tell us."

"What if I don't?!" She almost yelled through her shallow breathing, glaring at the assassin who walked back to her front. If she could just free her hands she would punch him so hard his brain would burst out of his fucking head. She hated the way he handled her like this. What a big man he was, hurting her like this while she was tied up and couldn't defend herself. What a big coward. All of them. She hated this. She wanted to punch all of them, no matter if she was outnumbered. She'd find a way.

Her venomous train of thoughts were interrupted as the man laughed and kicked her chair, making her fall on her back and her head hitting the floor once again. The pain was nothing compared to how it made her rage even more.

"Then you're not going to like me at all." He spat as he walked up to her and made a sign to the other men with his hand. He looked down at her a moment before bending over to grab her belt.

Verica jumped as her eyes locked on his hands. He didn't untie it. He just loosened it and brought it lower. Spreading her coat apart rather violently, he grabbed the hem of her shirt and yanked it up to reveal her stomach and part of the bandages covering her breast…

'No… everything but this…'

She lost control over her brain. Her heart started beating as fast as it was possible, as if it would somehow make time stop. She started squirming, her expression of anger changing to fear in an instant as she whined faintly. Everything but this. Please not this. Anything but this. She almost hyperventilated as she remembered many years ago her encounter in the forest with the stalker. How his tongue had felt so disgusting in her mouth, his hands roaming over her like he owned her. And yet he had barely touched her. He didn't have any time to do anything, but it was enough to scare her. This time there was no Kenneth to come save her. This time there was nothing standing between her and him…

The man stopped and frowned as he looked at her fearful expression. He scoffed and straightened up. "Don't give me that look girl. I'm not a rapist. I'm not a fucking animal."

Her breathing calmed down, her body freezing. She looked at him in confusion, but believed him more than happily. She fought back the tears that formed behind her eyes before trying to talk.

"T-then what-" She interrupted herself when she saw one of his man coming near her with a cage. She could hear small squeak from inside…

"I told you you weren't going to like me. If you help me, we can all sit and have a cup of tea like civilized people while we wait for your friend. But if you want to be a bitch, then I'll be a bitch to you as well." The assassin said calmly as he took a cup of metal from another man. He sat down on Verica's chair, between her knees and his feet on each side of her stomach. He made a sign to the man with the cage who held it to him. The assassin opened it and put his hand deep in the metal boxe before pulling it out with a small tarou in it.

Verica frowned at the man. "What are you doing?" Her fear was bubbling back up to the surface.

"Did you know that tarous are scared of fire?" The brown haired man said matter of factly with a smile.

He took the tarou's tail and slowly put it on Verica's stomach, making her squirm against her binds. He put the cup of metal on top of the tarou quickly before it got away, trapping it on her belly. She squealed with a disgusted face, feeling the creature's little feet on her skin. What the hell were they doing?

Another man, wearing thick gloves, kneeled beside her to hold the cup while his chief reached for something in his pocket. He pulled a box of matches out with a smile. "Tarous also don't like heat in general." He continued, taking a match out of the box. "Whenever they are in an environment they deem too hot..." He lit the match and dropped it on top of the metal cup. "...they do everything to leave this environment."

Verica winced. She could already feel the cup getting warmer on her skin. That was no ordinary metal, or they were no ordinary matches. Either way it didn't matter. Her chest started moving up and down quickly. She could feel her heart in her temples. The tarou was trying to pass its little feet under the cup, its small claws scratching her skin, but the assassin beside her held it firmly against her stomach. It started to scratch harder, making Verica wince and squirm against her binds. It quickly stopped and started again on the other side of its small prison. A small bed of blood pooled under the cup and leaked onto her side.

The young monk stared at the red line with wide eyes. She tried to take a deep breath, but it came in short pants. The pain started to spread in her stomach. It seemed to her that the tarou was starting to scratch even harder and not on the side of the cup anymore. It was trying to dig right above her bellybutton. She hissed in pain between whines, looking up at the man above her with fear as realization dawn on her.

The assassin met her gaze with a mischievous smile. He reached for another match and lit it, holding it above the metal.

"Where do you think this one will try to go if he's too hot?"

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><p>I'm so sorry nothing happens in this chap it's all blah blah blah again I'm so sorry but you KNOW I love blah blah XD<p>

Also. About the prophecy and Kenneth. I'm afraid we won't be seeing that for a while XD Sorry lol. We'll see our favorite dickhead who think it's a good idea to walk into great demon's prison in a few chapters :) For now, it's all Verica's adventure :P


	37. 5:A life for a life

Surprise. I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me.

To be honest I thought I'd seen the last of myself too. I had pretty much abandoned this fic. 5 months without updates. I know it's horrible. I literally had zero time to put into this. Now things are smoother and since I received a new review recently, I see some people are still expecting new chapters. A lot of people following me since the beginning have probably abandoned this fic, and I understand. You can't expect people to follow you with such horrible updates. You guys probably don't even remember what happened up until now XD

It's alright. I take the blame. It's all on me. But here I am again, trying again. I hope I can start this over and keep you interested. I still have so many chapters for this fic. easily 50 chapters. Maybe even more. Some might say it's too much and that I'll never see the end of it. You may be right. But it'S my fic and I do what I want. You're free to stick with me until the end or leave if I'm boring you :)

So here. Let's try this again, shall we? I'll try to make shorter chapters this time, but update more often maybe ^^; this one is very very small and not very well proof-read but I wanted to post it as soon as possible to show you this was not dead :/

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><p><strong>Chapter 37 A life for a life<strong>

"Get that thing off me!"

Verica squirmed on the chair as she tried to get the bucket away from her stomach, despite the man keeping it firmly in place. The tarou inside was frenetically trying to escape the heat building up inside its prison. His claws scratched rapidly on her skin as if it was dirt, drawing more blood out of her stomach with each stroke, along with a sharper pain.

"You talk and I remove it. It's simple." The assassin replied calmly as he lit another match.

"I can't tell you what I don't know!"

"That's too bad." He let the match fall on the bucket with a smile, watching her expression of fear with an unsettling fascination. Verica did her best to keep the pain from showing but it was getting more and more uncomfortable.

She resisted as long as she could. But when the skin of her stomach was completely shredded and she felt the tarou's claws in her insides, she started screaming in utter panic. The pain grew exponentially from there. It hurt and itch and burn. The sides of her stomach were coated in a thin layer of blood, streaming down from under the bucket. She could feel the creature trying to bury itself in her guts. Tears ran down her face as she sobbed in fear and pain, pleading the man to make it stop. But always he would repeat the same thing. "talk". Well if he wanted her to talk, then she would talk…

"A-alright…" She yelled between sobs, catching the man's attention. "I'll talk! I'll talk! Get it off please!"

"Where is he going?" The assassin asked quickly.

"Juno! He's heading toward Juno!" She had no idea where he was going. But if they wanted her to talk then she would tell them whatever came up to her mind. No matter what she tells them, she just wanted that thing out of her guts.

"Juno? That make sense. Juno is a safe, neutral ground. He knows it's harder for assassins to have it their way in this city. He can move around more safely there..."

The man made a quick gesture to tell his man to remove the creature, which he did. Verica exhaled deeply and shakily in relief, crying even more in happiness. But the pain stayed and as she looked down, the hole in her stomach almost made her throw up. She looked away quickly, feeling dizzy and breathing heavily as tears still fell down her temples.

She didn't have much time to rest before the man assaulted her with other questions.

"Where is he now?"

"I...he's probably... still in the city." She replied, panting."H-his clothes were shredded… he'd… he would have n-needed new ones…."

"Why were you with him?"

"I-I didn't lie to you." She continued, closing her eyes to try to calm down, to no avail. "I did save his life. I asked him to escort me as payment of his dept. I swear it's the truth."

"And where was he escorting you?"

She hesitated a moment. She needed to stay coherent. "Here.. he was escorting me here. I wanted him to escort me further.. but he didn't want to. He… he didn't want to travel with me. He only brought me here because I saved him… and it was on his path anyway…"

The assassin considered her a moment. He seemed to believe her, but he was still suspicious.

"You're not lying to me are you? I'll know if you lie."

"NO! I swear it's the truth! I have no reasons to lie! I'll help you! I'll do whatever you want I'll help you catch him. Please just don't-"

She didn't have time to finish her sentence as the lights suddenly went off. The men all stood up in surprise, weapon ready.

"What now?"

The door opened, another assassin entering the room. Apparently he was guarding the door. "The corridor is dark too. I think the whole inn blacked out."

"Damn it! This is not the time!" The leader cursed.

"I'll go downstair to check wh- Arg!" The man at the door screamed briefly before moaning. They heard his body fall on the floor, unable to see anything in the dark.

"What?" another man screamed and fell with a loud thud. The leader tried to retreat to the door, but it closed before he could reach it. He heard another of his man scream, and another. He stood back against a wall with his dagger in front of him, trying to see in the darkness but in vain. He moved to the window as he heard his last man fall to the floor. He opened the curtains to let the moonlight in and see what the hell was going on.

He saw Verica with her eyes closed, her head turned to the side and her breathing shallow in panic. Then his eyes settled on the assassin cross beside her, his katar buried in the chest of the man under him. The shadow of his sakkat covered his face, but the man already knew who he was…

He used sneak to become invisible and tried to get out by the window. A hand grabbed him by his scarf and threw him on the ground before he could flee. He found himself pinned down to the floor with a blade on his neck before he could do anything.

Verica opened her eyes and looked around, recognizing Meiji immediately.

"You…. you came…" She whispered to herself in disbelief.

Meiji pressed his blade against the man's throat as he spoke. "Trying to catch me?"

"M-Meiji.. I-I… look, we can work this out-"

"I doubt that."

"I-if you let me go I can help you! We can both win in this!"

"I suspect your master wouldn't be pleased to hear that. Who do you work for? Is it my father?"

"N-no… I work for the black family…"

"So you want me dead then. I hope you realize how ridiculous it is for YOU to try to kill me."

"I-I.. I didn't-"

"You wear assassin cross' clothes while you don't have the skills of one. You're just an assassin playing with clothings too big for him. Playing with players too experienced for him too. This whole situation is way beyond you." Meiji said in irritation. He sounded like he was pissed about wasting his time. He got closer to the man's face before continuing. "Did you tell someone I was here?"

"...N-no"

"You hesitated..." Meiji replied, narrowing his eye and tightening his grip on the man.

"I…" the man evaluated the situation quickly and decided it was in his best interest to be honest. "Alright… yes. I told the guild you were here…Anders' on his way…"

Meiji froze for a moment before glaring down at the man. "When did you contact them?"

"W-when you entered the city… He's probably already in Al De Baran now…"

The assassin cross took a deep breath, deep in thoughts as to what to do next considering this new information. The man on the floor squirmed uncomfortably.

"B-but I can help you. I can help you escape…just let me go and I'll help you out."

Meiji looked back at the man for a short moment before replying. "As if I could trust you."

He let the blade of his katar fall on the man's throat, cutting his scream of protest with a disgusting choking sound. Meiji sighed heavily before returning his attention to Verica. Her eyes were fixed on him, full of tears. She didn't even realize that Daniel had cut the binding on her legs. He got up slowly and straightened her chair before untying her hands. But even when she was free, she stayed on the chair, looking up at Meiji in fear and confusion.

"Why… why did you come back for me?"

The assassin looked back at her with his lone exposed eye, hidden in the shadow of his sakkat.

"A life for a life, little monk. It was only fair." He looked down at the blood pouring down her stomach unto her thighs. "You should tend to your wound."

That made Verica jump out of her torpor as she looked down. The sight made the panic rise in her chest again. She brought her shaking hands to the hole quickly, healing herself as best as she could while whispering "oh good god…" and her breathing out of control. Meiji looked toward the window that Daniel was already opening. The small demon looked down and made a sign to Meiji, telling him no one was there.

"Get up, we can't stay here." He said to Verica as he walked to the exit, but upon realizing that she was not coming, walked back to her with a sigh. She was still on the chair trying to heal herself, but not doing a very good job as she had trouble keeping her calm and concentrating. He pulled on her arm impatiently, making her whine in protest, and caught her by the waist to force her out of the room.

He jumped down the window after his demon pet, landing in the back alley as gracefully as he could with the girl panicking in his arm. He didn't waste time and quickly made his way further, but as he turned the corner, he came face to face with what he didn't want to see.

"Long time no see, Meiji."

A group of assassin cross blocked his path. Too many of them. And at the head of the group, a black haired man with a bright smile on his face stood confidently.

Meiji frowned as he let go of Verica, who let herself fall to the ground still holding her stomach and trying to stitch her skin back together. He stepped in front of her as he activated his katar, ignoring the man's earlier attempt at a conversation. His attitude only made the other man laugh.

"Are you really thinking about fighting your way out of this? I'm not like the guy you just killed up there and you know that. Neither are my men. You can't win this. Just surrender now and let me end this. I'll let the girl go if you do, I swear."

"Like I care about that." Meiji replied, not moving from his battle stance.

"Of course you do! You came back to save her! Somehow you must care."

"I came back because it was the honorable thing to do…"

"Right!" The man exclaimed, half laughing." You and your honor… you're probably the only person left in your family who still care about that you know. Well, not that there are many people left in your family anyway."

"I'm not part of this family anymore."

"Oh yes you are…" The man replied quickly as his laughter died, glaring at Meiji and clenching his jaw in irritation. "I wouldn't have to track your fucking ass down all around Rune Midgard if you fucking weren't!" He yelled, pointing his dagger toward Meiji.

"Are you planning on talking me to death Anders? You hate all this as much as I do, so get on with it." Meiji replied, his tone matching the other man's in anger.

"Very well." Anders said, his smile back on his face. "I'll make sure to keep your severed head with me. Maybe your father will want to buy it off me later."

The black-haired man got ready to attack, but before he could move, smoke bombs exploded at his feet and two poison knifes went flying on each side of his head to land on two of his man.

Meiji's eye widened and he quickly looked behind him to see a clothed figure looking back at him. He nodded, recognizing the person. It didn't stay there long before running away toward another alley, inviting Meiji to follow. The assassin cross grabbed Verica and followed, noticing two rogues jumping down the roof behind him to distract the assassins.

Following the mysterious friend through different alleys, they finally arrived at the back of a tavern. They entered the basement quickly, passing by guards who let them in immediately without questions. Verica barely registered what was going on. When she finally had the presence of mind to look up from her wound, she was in a secret place underground, below the tavern. Meiji let go of her and put her against a wall before turning to face the hooded person.

Verica looked around her, seeing only a table with two chairs in the room. Two closed doors, no window. It smelled alcohol and humidity and it took her a moment to really collect her thoughts to realize what had happened…

Their mysterious savior removed her cloak, throwing it in a corner of the room carelessly. A beautiful woman wearing assassin's cross clothes with two swords turned around to face Meiji with a smile, leaning on the table. She had very long burgundy hair tied at the base of her neck, with shorter bangs on the front. The assassin cross suit hugged her like a second skin. For what little fabric there was, she could have been wearing nothing at all it wouldn't have done a big difference...

"That was very careless of you, Meiji."

Verica froze when she heard her spoke. She recognized that voice. From a very long time ago, in prontera forest. And as she looked at the assassin, she recognized her yellow eyes as well…

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><p>Now. I realize some of you are thinking "where the hell is this story going this is not even about monks anymore :(" It's true we're going away from the main plot line for a while. But this is how I wanted to do it since the beginning and it's all going to come back together in the end. You could see this as… another story inside the one we already have. Because obviously mister assassin is going to stick with us and is important. So…. I hope you can get attached to him like you were attached to other characters. I really hope you'll appreciate where I'm going, even if it might be confusing or even disappointing. But anyway… thanks for coming back.<p> 


	38. 5:Trapped

Another short chapter. I'll try to keep them short and update more often, as I said last time :) thanks for sticking around!

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><p><strong>Chapter 38 Trapped<strong>

"What would you do without me, one eyed? Always need me to save your ass." The woman said, ignoring the younger girl sitting on the floor. Meiji removed his sakkat and put it on the table with a sigh.

"I didn't ask for your help."

"You never ask for help, even when you need it." She replied, rolling her eyes. She looked back at Verica and met her gaze, acknowledging her presence with a suspicious frown. "I see you've made a friend."

"No."

"Then why is she with you?"

"I have a debt." Meiji took one of the chair to sit down, rubbing his face in tiredness.

"A debt? What debt? What happened?"

"It's nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about?" She snorted. "You say that like it's nothing. What debt? What happened for you to accept the company of another human being? And put yourself in danger like this? If you want to get killed, say it already. I'll stop covering your sorry ass." The woman spat, crossing her arms over her chest.

Meiji sighed as he glanced up at the angry woman. "My apologies-"

"Don't you play your polite young man card on me you dick!" Her hand collapsed on the table as she raised her voice. "You owe me at least an explanation after this!"

The young monk on the floor stared at the assassin lady with wide eyes, but didn't dare say anything. Her heart was racing like never before and her stomach still hurt despite her healing. She still felt the tarou's claw in her guts, as if it was still there. When the little baphomet jr came to her she jumped in surprise, holding her stomach instinctively. The creature simply looked at her apologetically and sat down beside her.

"She helped me out. So, I helped her out in return." Meiji replied calmly, staring at the other assassin unmoved. "There's nothing more to say. I took a risk, I'm aware of that, but now it's done so let's move on."

"What do you mean she helped you out?"

"It means what it means."

"That doesn't mean shit!"

Verica slowly got up from the ground, leaning on the wall behind her. She looked around frenetically, trying to understand what was going on. Her eyes settled on one of the door. She looked back at the two assassins, still talking. She didn't think twice and ran to the exit, opening the door quickly to get out of here as quickly as possible. She didn't know what was going on but she wasn't going to stay here one more minute. She wanted to leave this place and never see an assassin ever again. She didn't trust them, no matter if the woman had saved her long ago. She didn't want to be here with them, as much as she didn't want to be in that inn room back then with those other assassins. At the moment she was in so much panic that all she could think about was to get the hell out of here.

As she ran through the door, she collapsed with a large man blocking her way. She fell down on her rear, the man simply looking behind him to see what had bumped into him. He was as tall and large as the door and she felt the panic rise even more in her chest when he turned around fully to face her. She stumbled away, quickly getting up to back off from the scary looking man. But he stayed in the door frame, throwing a questioning look at the older woman in the room. The assassin sighed and made a dismissal gesture toward the large man.

"It's alright just close the damn door. Don't let anyone in."

The man nodded and did as he was told, leaving Verica alone with the two assassins again. She spun around to face them, fear all over her face. Meiji stared back at her and sighed as he got up, taking a step toward her. She whimpered faintly as she moved away, until her back hit the wall. She kept her shaking hands in front of her defensively, her brain unable to think calmly at the moment. She should be talking with them. Try to understand what was going on, what had happened and who they were. Or at least keep a battle stance to defend herself. But none of this came to her mind. She was just stricken with overwhelming fear.

Meiji stopped in his track when she backed off from him. The way she looked at him in so much terror made him hesitate a moment, but he slowly approached her nonetheless. The woman behind him crossed her arms as she watched the young monk, an hint of pity in her eyes.

Verica's hand shook even more as the assassin moved closer and she fought back the tears behind her eyes. She pushed herself against the wall behind her and slid down to the ground when he arrived before her, closing her eyes and turning her head. She had no will to fight right now. She hadn't felt this powerless since she had been captured by the stalker many years ago. She was confused and her body felt weak.

She stayed like this for a long moment, breathing heavily and not daring to look up. When she finally did, she saw Meiji still looking at her. He bent down slowly and grabbed her arm gently and pulled to make her stand up. She shook as her legs tried to make her stand, still looking at the assassin with fear. But he let go of her, as gently as he had grabbed her. He put his hand on her back and brought her slowly toward the chair.

"Sit." He spoke very softly, almost in a whisper, as he helped her sit on the chair. Verica hesitated a moment, but she did as she was told. She looked up at him, her arms curled up against her chest and her hands shaking. "You're safe here. Calm down."

His voice reached her like a gentle awakening. As if it was bringing her out of her torpor. His tone was soothing, comforting. She calmed herself enough to feel his presence, filling her with this warm, comfortable feeling she had trouble to associate with him. She stared back at his orange eye for a long moment, her heart slowly recovering a slower pace and her hands steadying. He held her gaze as she calmed down, letting out a tired breath when she looked away and let her hands fall to her lap, apparently soothed. The other assassin looked at Meiji with a questioning look.

"What is this all about Meiji?"

"It's complicated."

"Then explain."

"It's not important." He said in a sigh as he looked back at the woman.

"I think it is. Because you just put yourself in danger for her and I had to put myself in danger for you. So you're going to tell me what's this debt and what the hell is happening." She replied with a clenched jaw. She was shooting daggers at the man with her eyes, daring him not to answer her question again if he was courageous enough. Meiji was about to reply something, but a small voice interrupted him.

"W-why…"

He looked down at Verica slowly, meeting her confused gaze with his impassive one.

"W-why did you come back for me?" She asked, staring at the taller man shyly. He considered her question for a moment before he shrugged.

"I told you. A life for a life."

Verica held his gaze, still confused. "Y-you… you didn't seem to care when we parted." she whispered.

"Care about what? Whether you live or die? I indeed don't care. I don't know you." Meiji replied calmly as he turned to face her. Verica went rigid, surprised by the answer. The other woman sighed and sat on the other chair, listening in silence. Obviously she would have to wait to have HER answers.

"But to have you die because of me is another story." The assassin continued, his eye shifting. "I noticed the assassins already watching us when we entered the city. That's why I didn't want us to part. But since you were insisting, I decided to use you to lure them out. I knew they would not ignore you. So I followed them after they got you and waited for the right time. I needed to know who they were, who they worked for and if they had told someone I was there."

Verica watched him in disbelief. "S-so... you used me?"

"You could say that. It was not intentional. I simply used the situation to my advantage."

"That's… you're just playing with words. Y-you…you don't even look sorry for what you did…"

"I am not. You put yourself in danger. I never forced you to travel with me." He replied, glancing back at her. He closed his eye as he sighed once again. "But what has been done to you is indeed my fault. And it would have been...unfair to leave you, considering my implications. For what it's worth, I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. But as I told you before, I'm not a babysitter. You're an adult who makes her own decisions. So I'll not be held responsible for your choice to follow me despite the fact that I warned you something like this could happen."

A small whimper escaped Verica's lips as she looked away from the assassin. She felt like she was being scolded. She stared down at her feet and played with her hands as she apologized shyly.

"I-I'm sorry…"

Meiji looked at her in silence briefly before shrugging again. "Don't be. You learned your lesson hard enough. No need for you to feel guilty on top of that. What is done is done. Just learn from it."

She glanced back at him with surprise, considering his words. The woman on the other chair snorted in response. "You're really an ass, you know that? That girl just got tortured because of you and you find a way to put the blame back on her? Really?"

"She is not a child. She's responsible for her decisions. She shouldn't have traveled with me if she didn't want trouble. I warned her, she ignored me, she paid for it. To me it sounds fair."

"Kss. Whatever one eyed. I'm not going to have a morale debate with you here." The woman took a long drag of the cigarette she had lit while Meiji and Verica talked. The smell of morroc tobacco was slowly filling the room.

Verica would have almost laughed if she wasn't so confused and scared at the moment. All those years she demanded to be treated like an adult. Well here she had it. The cold hard adult treatment. No cuddling, no holding hand, no sugar-coated words to make her feel better. That's what she wanted when she left the abbey, but the more she was being treated like an adult, the more she felt childish…

The woman got up from her chair with a sigh and walked up to Meiji, leaning on the table barely a few inches beside him as she blew smoke from her mouth. The man took a small step back, not liking to have his personal space invaded.

"Now that the little girl has calmed down, would you care to tell me what the hell happened?" She asked impatiently. "Why is she traveling with you? And don't tell me 'I have a debt'. This is not a game of 'let's be as vague as possible'. I want a clear answer."

"Why does it matter Aeryn? Meiji replied, as unmoved as ever.

"Just answer me for fuck's sake" The woman sighed. She looked so done...

The man closed his eye, his shoulders slouching. His expression was still emotionless, but it was obvious somehow that he was really tired of all the questions.

"...I was attacked in the prontera forest. I don't know by what. I just know it left me bleeding to death. I'd almost reached the window when she found me and healed me. I agreed to escort her to repay my debt to her." He finished, looking at Daniel from the corner of his eyes and making sure to remember him that it was HIS fault this was happening. He was the one to insist they should travel with her. The baphomet held his gaze, unimpressed.

"What the hell attacked you to leave you in such a state?" She asked, worry obvious in her voice.

"I told you, I don't know. I just saw black smoke and then nothing. I just blacked out from blood loss."

Aeryn considered his answer for a moment before looking down at Verica, making the younger woman shrink on her chair, intimidated. Their gaze met before the assassin spoke.

"Why did you save him?" She asked, suspicious.

"...W-why wouldn't have I saved him? He was injured. I wasn't going to just let him die like this." She replied truthfully. The woman considered her reply before nodding with a small smile.

"Thank you…" She whispered.

But as she stared at Verica more closely, her eyes narrowed again...

"Wait...I know you…"

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><p>Not a really nice place to stop but yeah... that's where I'm going to stop anyway. thanks for reading.<p> 


	39. 5:Assassin's Business

Heeeyyy, here's chapter 39. Short once again, but it allows me to update more often :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 39 Assassin's Business<strong>

Verica remained silent as the woman before her squinted her eyes at her. She examined the assassin as well. There was no mistake here, she really was the assassin who helped her a few years back...

"I...we met a long time ago. In prontera forest." She replied shyly.

This seemed to ring a bell to the assassin instantly as her eyes widened.

"Aahh. Yes. I remember. You were with this scruffy guy on the verge of death when I was hunting this good for nothing stalker… well, isn't the world small." She smiled as she took a better look at Verica. "You've grown a bit. But seems like you're still doing everything to get yourself in trouble."

"I…" Verica didn't know what to reply to that. But she did what seemed to be the only good thing to do. She remembered how desperate she had been back then. How this woman saved Kenneth and herself from this horrible man. She looked down and bowed thankfully to the assassin. "T-thank you again. For what you've done. I-"

She was cut short by the woman's laughter. "Oh please girl. Cut it. You paid me, I helped you, end of story. Don't go all priesty on me now."

"Y-yes. I-I'm sorry…"

Aeryn laughed at her exaggerated politeness. "Well, I saved the life of someone important to you. You saved the life of someone important to me. We really are even now." She said, smiling softly at the girl. It made Verica smile in return, making her a bit more comfortable. Well, as much as she could anyway. But she really wondered who this woman was. If Meiji was so important to her… were they lovers? Or maybe his sister? No, they didn't look alike…

"Now that you know what's going on." Meiji said impatiently as he looked up at the woman. "Care to tell me why you wanted me to come here?"

"Ah!" The woman smiled happily. "You saw my scorpion then?!"

"I did. That's why I came."

"No. You came because you were escorting sweetcake here." She said, pointing toward Verica.

"Yes, but I also came because I saw your message."

"Hm, no matter. What's important is that you're here now."

Verica frowned at them. What were they even talking about now? The scorpion? The little red scorpion they saw on the road? That was a message? Who the hell were those people? What kind of communication system was that?

The assassin lady took a map out of her pouch and laid it down on the table.

"There's something I need done…. and I can't ask my men to do it. Nor can I do it myself. You know this small fortress west of Al De Baran, here?"

Meiji looked at the map and nodded. "Yeah, I know. Some rich guy's place."

"I need you to get in and kill the 'rich guy'."

Verica jumped on her seat. She didn't like this. She still wanted to get out of here. "I-I… wait! I-I feel like I shouldn't be here… nor that I should be hearing this! I don't have anything to do with any of this and I don't want to either! I've had my share of assassins! I just want to get out of here and never see you jerk ever again!" She said quickly as she looked toward Meiji. She realized too late what she had just said, bringing her hand in front of her mouth. That was not very smooth...

The woman simply laughed at her comment, glancing at Meiji. "It's true you're a jerk."

The man in question ignored her and looked at Verica. She was scared she'd angered him for a moment. After all, the words of those other assassins still rang in her head. She had no idea if what they had told her was true. If the man before her really was a crazy murderer. It didn't seem likely… but he was so emotionless that maybe there was some truth to it. And it was probably not a good idea to insult a madman.

But the madman in question looked tired more than anything.

"I'm sorry I involved you in this. And we can both part ways in a short future I promise. But if you go out now, they will just find you again. And it's the middle of the night. It would be best for you to stay here until morning."

Verica stared at him for a moment. He had good points. She hated how he was so logical.

"Meiji is right. You should stay here. I own this tavern and Anders knows that. He's not stupid enough to come barging in on another assassin's territory. And even if they do come searching here, they won't make it this far. But I doubt they will anyway. They didn't see me. They have no reason to come looking here. There are no safer place in this city right now. I'll help you leave safely in the morning."

Verica mumbled a few incomprehensible words, rubbing the back of her neck as she considered her option. In the end she didn't have much choice. "F-fine..."

Meiji looked back at Aeryn. "Why do you need me in particular for this? You're more than capable of taking care of one man." He said, going back to business.

"I am. But if I do it, there is a risk that I'll be link to it. And I must not."

"Why?"

"Because this is my own initiative. This guy fucked me in the ass good not too long ago. Not literally of course. Somehow I feel like I need to clarify that…" She said with a laugh. "Anyway...he really pissed me off. In a way you can't even imagine. I've lost a lot of men because of him. I want him dead...but the thing is that my father does a lot of business with the guy. Too much to allow one slip affect his business relationship with him. You know how the guild works. But I don't like getting fucked like this without retribution."

"So you want me to kill him… so that your father won't know it was under your orders?"

"Exactly. If someone can identify you, it won't come back to bite me in the ass. Because no one knows I still have contacts with you. At worst, they'll think your father is involved, but I doubt you care about that. Most likely it won't come back on anyone, since pretty much everyone doing business with the guild knows you're not with us anymore."

"I see…." Meiji nodded in understanding. "But please don't tell me all those red dots on the map are guards…"

"Yes they are."

Meiji snorted in disbelief. He shook his head as he leaned on the table with his hands. "I appreciate your fate in me Aeryn, but I think you're overestimating my abilities. There's no way I can do this alone. The security is too tight, I won't be able to pass all of them. Even in sneak state, that guy probably has countermeasure for that too, considering he works with assassins. And if I'm spotted, I won't be able to fight my way out..."

"Normally I would agree. But mama's got some good stuff for you baby." Aeryn said with a bright smile

She took a roll of leather out of her pouch, opening it on the table. Verica saw syringes, all lined up and tied to the leather; a bright red liquid inside each of them. She pressed herself against her chair, uneasy. She didn't like where this was going. She already didn't understand a word of what they were talking about. Things about the guild and rich guys and family… She had nothing to do with all this. She just wanted to leave…

Aeryn took one of the syringes and handed it to Meiji, but the assassin moved back a little, apparently as uneasy as Verica was.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea. I didn't take that stuff in a long time…"

"But do you think you can do it? With this?" She insisted.

Meiji hesitated as he looked back at the map and all those little red dots. He sighed and nodded slowly. "Yeah… I guess. But as I said I'm not sure I can handle it as well as I used to."

"Don't worry about that. This is not some cheap buff potion made by a shady alchemist on the side of the road. It's guild-certified, it will be fine." She said, trying to reassure him. "With everything I do for you one eyed, you better fucking say yes. I don't ask favors often and you know it, but this is important and I can't ask anyone else. You're my best option."

Meiji nodded again. He didn't seem particularly happy about all this, but he went along with it anyway.

"When do you want this done?"

"The sooner the better. Now?"

"Now?" He raised a brow at the woman beside him. "With Anders in the streets looking for me?"

"I have a passage that leads outside Al De Baran. You can make your way to the fortress and come back that way without going back into the city. You can avoid Anders' men that way."

"What about her…" He nodded his head toward Verica.

"Don't worry I'll take care of her." Aeryn said with a strange enthusiasm. "She'll be safe here. And I'll be a good girl, I promise." She winked at the younger woman, who smiled back awkwardly. What… what was that supposed to mean?

Meiji pulled the map closer to him with his finger. His eye roamed over it quickly for a little while. He seemed deep in thoughts, considering his plan of action. Finally he sighed, running his fingers through his hair before resting his palm on his forehead. He didn't seem to like this at all, but apparently his opinion didn't matter here...

"Alright. Let's do this quickly." He said as he started pulling down his gloves.

"I knew I could count on you one eyed." Aeryn said with a smile. She took a tourniquet as Meiji sat down on the chair, leaving his exposed arm on the table. Verica watched in fascination as Aeryn prepared him. She was almost holding her breath when the needle pierced his skin. She'd never seen this before. The medicine at the church always implied potions and magical healing. This whole needle business made her feel a bit weak…

The red liquid left the syringe slowly. As seconds passed by, Meiji closed his eyes and bowed his head as his breathing grew heavier.

"Are you ok?" Aeryn asked, still a little bit worried.

"I'm fine." He whispered. "It's just been a long time. I'd forgotten how it felt…" He leaned his head on the wall behind him, taking a deep breath.

"Don't get used to it." She replied as she removed the needle. She put the other syringes back in her pouch as Meiji rolled up his assassin remained immobile for a long moment, his breathing going faster and faster each minute as Verica watched in confusion. After a while he finally opened his eyes and got up, taking his sakkat from the table and putting it back on his head. He seemed full of anticipation. Almost excited.

"Ok, where do I go?"

Aeryn started to explain some other little details about the job, but Meiji quickly cut her off. To Verica it looked like he was on the verge of kicking a hole in a wall. It was a strange contrast to how calm she had seen him up until now.

"Jus tell me where the passage is Aeryn, before I start the job in here." He said through clenched teeth, flexing his fingers and moving from one foot to the other, unable to stay in place.

"Right…it's this way."

Meiji didn't waste time and left immediately, leaving a very confused Verica behind him. His Baphomet jr watched him leaving with a worried frown. He sighed before bowing his head and making himself comfortable for a nap. Aeryn sat on the second chair with a small content smile, taking a puff of her cigarette.

"W-what was in that syringe?" Verica asked timidly.

"A poison."

"...A poison? Why would you poison him?" That didn't make an ounce of sense...

"Well, actually it's concentrated berserk potion. But it's so concentrated, you might as well say it's poisonous. You can't drink that, it would be like drinking pure alcohol straight out the alchemist's test tube. It's way more potent than the traditional stuff… and not very legal either. It makes you crave adrenaline and boosts your brain. It makes you quicker, more alert, more accurate. It's like your brain is functioning at double speed. Of course the downside is that it's very dangerous for your nervous system and you need an antidote to counter it. But it's alright it's not his first time. He just needs to come back within 8 hours to get the antidote. Otherwise it could damage his brain. But believe me: the effects are worth the risk."

"Oh…. I see." None of this made any sense to her. All she knew was that right now she was trapped here… Another display of God's great sense of humour she presumed….

"So" The woman straightened on her chair to look properly at Verica. "I didn't even ask your name. How inappropriate of me. What's your name sweetcake?" The woman asked, kissing her cigarette.

"Um… Verica…"

"That's a nice name. But I'll keep calling you sweetcake." She said with a laugh. There was a long pause before she looked at Verica with a concerned gaze. She cleared her throat as she spoke. "I need to ask you something."

"Y-yes."

She hesitated again. Not sure how to ask what she had to ask. "The wounds he had when you found him in the forest. Could it be… would it have been possible for him to do it himself." she spoke quietly, as if people could hear around them. Or as if she was scared to speak aloud.

The younger woman looked up with a surprised expression, but replied honestly. "N-no...I don't think so. Something else did it to him."

"Are you sure?"

"...Yes. I'm sure. But… why?"

Aeryn smiled gently at her before looking down at the floor. "It's nothing. I was just wondering, that's all. Sometimes… it's hard to tell what's going on in his head. I just wanted to make sure that…ah, nevermind."

Verica remained silent. What was she implying? Was she scared Meiji had tried to kill himself? Had he tried before?

A lot of questions passed through her head, but they simply added to the questions she already had. She watched Aeryn's worried expression and felt like it wasn't her place to ask more about this. It seemed very personal, so she settled for a more general question.

"I-I'm sorry but… I'm very confused in all this. I don't even know who he really is… I don't know who you are either. Those men who kidnapped me. They told me he was a criminal…."

"A criminal?" The assassin laughed at the implication. "Well, I suppose that by the guild's standards, he is. But really all he did was cut ties with the guild. And the guild does not like that."

"So… he's not a crazy murderer?" It felt like such a stupid question to ask…

"Of course not. He's an assassin. He kills people, it's his job. But he doesn't go around murdering innocents. Those assassins you saw were only trying to get you to help them. They didn't even know Meiji personally."

"But this other man… Anders? He does?"

The woman shuddered at the name. She let out a long breath before replying. "Yes. Anders knows him."

"Who is he? And who is Meiji? Why is everyone trying to kill him? Is it just because he left the guild? His demon pet told me his gene were special? Is it true? And who are you? Why are you helping him? You're in the guild too?"

Aeryn's laugh interrupted her streak of questions. "Well aren't you a curious girl. One question at a time sweetcake."

"I-I'm sorry! I-I'm not used to… the outside world. This is all way beyond me…" She replied shyly.

"It's fine. I don't mind. You saved Meiji's life. That makes you a friend in my book. Still, it's too bad you got dragged in all this. But it will be over soon don't worry. I'll help you leave in the morning." Aeryn said, crushing her cigarette on the table. "Now, what was it you wanted to know?"

"Um… well… First, who are you? You two know each other pretty well obviously. And you… you seem to care about him a lot. Are you… are you two lovers?"

Aeryn looked up at the younger girl in surprise and froze a moment before bursting out in laughter.

"Oh good god no. Sweetcake, I don't eat that kind of meat." She replied as she winked at her. Verica smiled awkwardly in return...again. She didn't understand what she meant by that. Maybe that he just wasn't her type? She didn't get what was funny about it….

Aeryn calmed herself before she lit herself another cigarette. She offered one to Verica, who promptly refused.

"No, I'm not his lover. I'm not part of his family either. Not in blood anyway. But he's been more a brother to me than any of my real brothers and I'm the closest thing from a sister he's ever had. So… you could say that we are very, very close friends." She started. She looked up at Verica with a strange smile, almost mischievous. "Now, I bet Meiji didn't tell you anything about him, did he? About who he really is?"

Verica shook her head shyly.

"Hm. He wouldn't want me to babble about his life. He hates it when people know too much about him." She said slowly right before leaning over the table, her smile widening. "Good thing he's not here to hear what I'm about to tell you."

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><p>Thanks for reading :)<p> 


	40. 5:The runaway son

Thank you for still being here ^^;

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><p><strong>Chapter 40 The runaway son<strong>

Verica stood stiffly on her chair, hands on her lap and her eyes glued to the woman in front of her. The way Aeryn smiled at her made her extremely nervous. What did she mean, "Good thing Meiji wasn't here"?

Aeryn chuckled as she straightened up, bringing her cigarette to her mouth. "Didn't you want to know who he was?"

"I-I… of course!" The monk replied, not doing a good job at hiding her curiosity, which made the assassin smile even more.

"If you want to understand who he is and why he's in so much trouble, you'll have to hear the whole story."

"That's fine. I'm trapped here anyway. And there's no way I'll be able to sleep after all this..."

"Hm." Aeryn glanced at Verica with a raised brow. "But why do you want to know anyway? Tomorrow you'll be long gone and never see him again."

The younger woman was surprised by the question. She wasn't sure how to answer. She looked down at her laps, thoughtful.

"Well, I don't know. I just… I guess I want to know for the same reasons I wanted to travel with him. I mean… he's just really mysterious." She replied, smiling awkwardly as she shrugged. "I've never been outside my abbey before. He's the first person I met outside. He seemed so interesting. Like he'd seen some much more than me. Somehow I thought we could be friends… obviously I was wrong."

"Yeah. Meiji is...socially unfit." The assassin laughed quietly.

"I realized that too late." Verica replied with a sigh. "And the troubles he caused me were not worth it. I wish I hadn't met him. I mean… I'm glad I could save his life of course! But… I'm sorry. I know you're his friend but he has a horrible personality and… he's really a jerk." She finished in a whisper. But her comment only made Aeryn laugh more.

"Don't be so shy. You can say it. He IS a jerk." She said, taking a drag from her cigarette. "But he hasn't always been like this. He's a good man really, when you know him. But 3 years of being on the run can change a man…"

"He's really been on the run for 3 years?" Verica asked, incredulous. Aeryn nodded slowly.

"Yes. And believe me; having the assassin's guild trying to get you is like having the whole world against you. They are everywhere. Meiji survived because he's a sneaky little bastard. And because I helped him of course. He covers his track perfectly and never let his guard down. Living 3 years like this did have an effect on his personality I guess. No matter how he denies it, always being alone is not good for moral-"

A small cough interrupted the woman. She looked down to see Daniel staring back at her, which made her smile apologetically. "Ah, well, not completely alone of course. This little guy is probably the only reason why Meiji is not a complete hermit by now. Thanks Daniel."

The little demon shrugged as he closed his eyes again, satisfied with the rectification. Aeryn laughed softly as she looked back at Verica. "Anyway. What I meant is that he's always on the edge. Always on his guard, never allowing himself to relax, mistrustful toward everyone. So yes, he can be a real jerk. But he simply doesn't know how to interact with other human beings anymore."

"That… that is a very sad thing to say." Verica replied sadly.

"I know. But it's the truth." Aeryn leaned on her chair, stretching her back. She looked down at Daniel for a long moment before speaking again. "I wish I could help him more, but unfortunately I'm limited in my interactions with him. If the guild knew I still have contacts with him...well, I'd rather not think about it."

"Why are you telling me all this? Why do you want to tell me more about him?" The young monk replied with narrowed eyes. She was getting more and more comfortable with the other woman. She appeared less cold than the first time she saw her in the forest; dropping the act of the "shady assassin with no emotions" she seemed to be back then. She was acting nice enough actually, even joyful. Her presence felt fuzzy to Verica. A little bit like drunkenness, but cold and somehow empty at the same time. It felt...lonely...

"That's a very good question." She said with a smile before winking at the girl. "I just really enjoy pissing him off. He'll know I told you about him and he's not gonna be happy about it. I just love getting under his skin." She chuckled lightly before looking at Verica with compassion "And besides, I think you deserve answers no? You got kidnapped because of him. The least I can do is satisfy your curiosity, don't you think?"

"I… well, I would appreciate it, yes."

"Good. But as I said, you'll need to hear the whole story. It's a long story, but it's not like we're short on time right?"

Aeryn took a long puff of her cigarette before letting it fall on the ground and crushing it with her foot. She took another one out, again offering one to Verica, who refused. She lit it and leaned on the table, making herself comfortable for the story she was about to tell.

"The first thing you need to know is that the assassin's guild is but a shadow of what it once was. There was a time, long, long ago, when the guild was like any other guild. There was a guildmaster, elected by the members of the guild, and when he died another one was elected. It was a blooming community. They had their headquarters in morroc desert. Hidden, but not completely closed to strangers. Anyone who wanted to become an assassin could find the guild. There they could train and pass tests to achieve their dream. Those people could come back whenever they wanted to find leads on jobs and talk with assassins more experienced who were eager to teach other people what they knew. It was a place of fraternity and intellectual exchanges, serving the king for the greater good. It was… perfect." Aeryn started as she looked in front of her with a content smile. But then she frowned, as if coming back to reality.

"But that was a very long time ago. Back when King Tristan Third ruled the land. Back when people still worshipped the old gods... It was a very long time ago indeed…"

"You seem to miss the old days…" Verica said hesitantly.

"Well, some would argue that I can't miss what I never knew. When I was born, this time was gone. The events that changed the guild took place long before my birth."

"What events?"

"Back then, there were three assassins who were considered the most powerful of them all. They each had their speciality and worked together as a perfect team. But… their power got to their head. It is hard to accept the authority of people weaker than you. And so they rebelled against the guildmaster. They rallied the rest of the guild with them and seized power. They promised to make the guild even more powerful. Untouchable. Some people didn't agree, but none could fight to stop them. And so the assassins of the guild joined each of them, pledging their loyalty to the new masters. But after the mutiny was over, there were still three persons at the top. Three assassins trying to rule the others. Junko, from Louyang. Izzah, native of Morroc. And Andrei, coming all the way from Moscovia. They waged war against one another for years to know which of them would become guildmaster. Turned out that Junko was victorious. She became guildmaster, but kept her two friends with her. She offered them wealth and parcels of power, telling them that once her reign would be done, a member of their family would be named in her place. The first children to be born would become the next guildmaster. Each time, the guildmaster would be chosen unto another's family, and so all three's descendants would be able to keep their hands on the guild's power. Izzah and Andrei accepted the deal and the guild was at peace for a time."

"So… the democracy became a monarchy?"

"That's exactly what happened. And that's what caused its downfall. The guildmaster was more a king than anything. It wasn't so bad at first. But after Junko, Izzah and Andrei died, the guild became more and more closed. Their descendants were greedy and arrogant. Junko's white family, Izzah's red family and Andrei's black family. That's what they called themselves. They became even more powerful as time passed by. Other family gained in influence too and it became exactly like a king's court. The rules were rewritten, old oaths forgotten. The cycle of power Junko had established between the three families was erased as each of them tried to get on top ahead of its time. Now when a guildmaster dies or is too old, his first born takes his place. So the power goes to another family only when there are no more children old enough to take over or when a family declares war to the governing one. It is a political chaos. We spend more time killing each other for power than we do actually working for the guild, it's a mess. Now the assassin's guild is completely hidden in the desert. Closed to the outside world. It is a little village with its own rules and rulers. When you look at it from outside, you don't see the difference. But from the inside, you see how corrupted it has become. Corrupted by men who seek nothing but their own good, without caring about their community and what they leave to their children…"

Verica remained silent as Aeryn spoke. The older woman was spitting venom; this whole ordeal being a very sensitive subject for her obviously.

"You really don't like the way things are now, do you?"

"Ah! I hate the way things are…" Aeryn replied, cigarette between her lips. "But I love the guild. I love its people. And it deserves better than this…"

"And which family has the power now?" Verica asked, incredibly interested in Aeryn's story. She had no idea if any of this was true. Sounded more like legend than anything else. But she had always loved legends and stories. She often sat for hours with Mathias, listening to his old tales. True or not she didn't care. She just liked being told stories and listening to people talk.

"Well, that's where the story goes back to one eyed. The white family has the power right now. It has for the last 200 years. The guildmaster's name is Maelon. He's a cold hearted man, ruling the guild with an iron hand. He is ridiculously powerful and the other families are eager for him to die, because every one of their attempts to kill him has failed pathetically." Aeryn replied with a small laugh.

"So what does it have to do with Meiji?" Verica asked, even if she could already see where this was going.

"Aaah, I'm sure you could guess. You see, when Maelon dies, the guildmaster's title will go to his son. But his son isn't home right now..." Aeryn whispered, glancing at Verica with a raised brow, inviting her to finish her sentence.

"And this son...is Meiji?" Verica continued, stitching the pieces back together. Aeryn nodded with a sad smile

"You got it all figured out sweetcake."

"Meiji... is the son of the assassin's guild leader?" She repeated, realizing the implication. "Wow...So, he is kind of like a prince?"

"I wouldn't say that." The assassin snorted. "He's just… the next in line to lead the guild, that's all. The thing is that Meiji doesn't have any brothers nor sisters. He doesn't have uncles or aunts either. He and his father are the only remaining members of the white family. If Meiji doesn't seize power after his father, the white family's line will end with Maelon."

"But then...why is the guild trying to kill him? Shouldn't they try to bring him back? And why did he left in the first place?!"

"Ah! you think Meiji wants to become guildmaster? Meiji hated the guild the moment he arrived as a kid. I can still remember him complaining days and nights about how he hated it. It was so unnerving. Meiji wasn't raised in the guild from the start. He arrived only at 10 years old. His father kept him on a leash, raising him more like a soldier than a son. It only made Meiji hate it more. Needless to say that his father wants to bring him back alive. Maelon is… well, I'll just say that he's been unable to conceive another child with any of his wives. Meiji is his only legacy, so he's extremely precious to him. As I said, if Meiji doesn't come back, his lineage will end with him. He doesn't want that. The other families are trying to kill him of course. Meiji dying means the white family dying. That man you saw… Anders. He's the black family's heir. He's a violent and heartless man. Of all the people trying to kill Meiji, Anders is the most dangerous. He wants his hands on the guild more than anyone. If he does… the guild will fall even lower than it already is." Aeryn said as she shook her head, her lips torn in disgust. "So we have 2 third of the guild trying to kill him and the other third trying to bring him back to his father in chains. There's no happy ending for him in all this..."

"That's… that's horrible!" Verica said in disgust. "This man, Maelon...He doesn't care about having his son back?! He just… wants a starbuck to give him grandchildren? What the hell is wrong with him?"

"It's not just him. All the families are like this. It has become ridiculous. You talked about gene earlier. Well that's part of the equation too. Junko, Izzah and Andrei all had special abilities that their descendants have. Junko was the fastest and she could stay hidden in sneak state for as long as she wanted. Meiji has those genes and since his father is unable to have any more children, his son is the only gene pool left to pass on those abilities." Aeryn took one last drag from her cigarette before throwing it away with a sigh. "Anyway. All that to say that no matter how you look at the situation, Meiji's fucked."

"If he's captured he'll either be killed or used by his father to continue the rule of his family..."

"Pretty much."

"But… if you say he never liked the guild, then what happened 3 years ago that suddenly made him leave for good?"

Aeryn took a long pause, considering her question. "Aahh…well, I suppose it was an accumulation of many things. But the straw that broke the camel's back was probably the arranged marriage…"

"Arranged marriage?!" Really? That's not what Verica was expecting. Aeryn laughed at her reaction.

"Yes. It may sound ridiculous, but when his father told him he was going to get married, Meiji just… lost it."

"Was the girl really that bad?" Verica said with a small chuckle.

"I sure hope not! That girl was me."

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><p>Thanks for reading this :)<p> 


	41. 5:Understanding

And another chapter ^^ thank you for still being here!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 41 Understanding<strong>

Verica's laugh was cut short, an awkward silence filling the room the two women were sitting in. The smell of morroc tobacco was everywhere around her and the way Aeryn was smiling at Verica made her even more confused. Did she just hear correctly?

"I-I...excuse me?"

"You heard me. One eyed and I were supposed to tie the knot before he left." She repeated, still smiling in an unsettling way and obviously amused by Verica's reaction.

"B-but...why you? I mean, why didn't he… I don't understand…" Verica stuttered in confusion.

Aeryn sighed as she got up. She turned her back on Verica and started to lower the straps of her suits, revealing her back. Verica was about to ask what she was doing, her cheeks quickly turning red in embarrassment and confusion, but as she saw the big tattoo covering her back, she understood.

"The scorpion. The red family's crest." Aeryn said in a low tone, getting her hair out of the way. "When children of each family become assassins, they get this. Tainted forever with the arrogance of their ancestors, as Meiji would say. You probably saw his too when you healed him. A snake for the white family. A spider for the black one. It's all very poetic, don't you think!" She laughed sarcastically.

Verica moved closer, leaning on the table to look at the work of art on the woman's back. It was very similar to Meiji's. At the bottom were the words "respect, secrecy, loyalty". Probably the family's motto…

"But wait… that means you're part of the red family?"

"I am. With my 'dear' big brother killed in shady circumstances recently, God bless his soul…" She added in a mocking tone after putting way too much emphasis on the "dear". "...I'm now the next in line of succession to lead my family and become guildmaster if we were to seize power." Aeryn said as she put her shirt back on. She sat down, putting another cigarette between her lips. "So, as you can see, the guild's affairs concern me greatly."

Verica ignored her attitude toward the death of her brother and simply shook her head to try to put the pieces together. There was so much information at once, she didn't know what to look at anymore.

"Is it common for the families to do this? I thought they all hated each other? Why did his father wanted him to marry you?"

"Well, as I said, Meiji wasn't raised in the guild. And that's because he's a bastard."

"A bastard?"

"Believe it or not but assassins really care about marriage. Assassins should marry other assassins, that is the unwritten law. But Maelon didn't have Meiji with any of the wives he's had over the years. He had him with another woman, who was not an assassin." Aeryn said, taking a long drag from her cigarette. "When his mother was pregnant, she fled to Payon, not wanting her son to become an assassin too I presume. She knew that if she stayed in Morroc, Maelon would take him. Unfortunately she didn't hide him well enough, obviously. And so technically, Meiji is not legitimate. If you ask members of the guild if Meiji really is the next in line to become guildmaster, half will say yes and the other half will say no. It's a big controversy back there. But since Maelon doesn't have any other children, he needed to find a way to legitimate his bastard son. And…well, that's when my father had his brilliant idea."

"He offered me to him. I'm a legitimate child. I have every rights to the title. By putting me at Meiji's side, it would please people who didn't recognized him the right to rule. To my father, it was a small step toward power and it offered Meiji's father the legitimization he needed. It had never been done before. Two families bonding like this. The possibilities were very arousing for both sides. A child with both the unique abilities of the white and red family… it was to dream about." Aeryn said with a smile, as if she was herself contemplating how wonderful that would be. "Maelon accepted the offer. Once Meiji and I would have been married, he only had to wait for me to get pregnant. Then kill me and raise the child to be a true snake, continuing his lineage with an even stronger power. My father had the same idea in head, getting rid of Meiji as soon as his part was done. But Meiji cockblocked both of their plans." She finished with a small laugh.

"Wow… that's… wow…" Verica didn't know what to say. This was so surreal. It sounded like it was out of a book.

"It's crazy I know. The guild is crazy. Meiji would be the first to confirm that. I don't think he would have minded marrying me if he really didn't have a choice. I think what made him flee was the whole… child business.

"He doesn't want children?"

"I don't know." Aeryn took a long pause, as if she was deciding how to reply. "Well, I know that he wouldn't want to have children only for them to be forced into the guild like he was. To have a child only for political reasons was… disgusting for him. As I said, Meiji really doesn't like the guild. He doesn't understand that it would have been for the greater good..."

"B-but you... how did you feel in all this?"

"Me?" The assassin hesitated a moment before she smiled. "I didn't mind really. A red and white child was… a very interesting prospect. He would have had so much potential to be so powerful. He could have had the strength and power necessary to change the guild. Bring it back to what it once was. It could have been our salvation-" She interrupted herself, as if she was suddenly realizing what she was saying. "Aah… but that is a another story for another time."

"So… you would have wanted him to say yes?" Verica asked with frown. All this didn't make much sense to her.

"I… well, in the end it's probably better like this. I mean, my father would have tried to kill him eventually. Meiji and I go way back. He's a true brother to me. A brother I care about deeply. I don't want him to die…"

"That's why you're helping him stay away from the guild…"

"Yes. To be honest, it's in my best interest to keep him away. Anders is not the only one who wants the title of guildmaster." Aeryn said with a wide smile. "I have big projects for my community. Keeping Meiji out of the game is for my greater good as well, I'm not going to hide it. And for the moment, the whole guild is in shamble, trying to find him. It takes the attention away from… my activities. Really it's a win win situation for me." She finished with a wink.

Verica frowned at the woman. "Except that your friend is in danger every day of his life."

"Yes, well, we can't always have everything we want now can we? Gotta take what we can. He's a grown man. He can take care of himself most of the time."

"Your relationship with him seems strange to me…" Verica muttered. Really, this woman acted like Meiji was one of the most important person in her life, while at the same time his troubles didn't seem to bother her that much...

"I'm not expecting you to understand, sweetcake." Aeryn said with a sad smile. "You don't know how cruel the world can be. Believe me, the assassin's guild is a harsh place. With a horrible system. I'm a product of this system and as such, I have to play the role I've been assigned to. You have to see it as a game. Otherwise it's too much to bear. That's how life is too! Don't take anything too seriously. It's easier like this" She took a small pause as she sighed. "But you always get tired of playing eventually. It's nice to have someone to relax with. Get away from the system. That's what Meiji has always been… someone who refused to play and forced you to stopped. Forced you to loosen up. It's sad to think that he's the one who can't take time to relax now." She stopped to look at Verica, who stared back at her in confusion, obviously not understand a word of her analogies. She smiled gently at her. "Aahh, but enough of this. You wanted to know who Meiji was. Now you know. This is all I can tell you." She finished, putting her cigarette between her lips with a smile.

Verica stared back at the assassin in silence for a long moment. She wasn't sure how to feel about all this. Now that she knew the truth, she almost wished she hadn't asked for it. To know where Meiji came from and why he was who he was and acted like he did… to know the reasons behind it all made him way too human. It was simpler to see him as an emotionless assassin jerk. Now his lack of emotion and his unnerving behavior only evoked pity, forcing her to look at the loneliness behind his actions. Maybe he wasn't that bad after all. Maybe he was indeed a good man. All this story was incredibly sad and unfair. The anger she had toward him was nowhere to be found now, leaving only a huge feeling of compassion for this man who basically had nothing going for him…

As she pondered her thoughts she looked down at Daniel, fast asleep on the ground. She glanced back at the older woman, who was taking care of her cigarette.

"Obedience, silence, honor… that's the white family's motto, right?" she asked.

"Hm? Yes… it is." Aeryn replied with a confused frown.

Verica hesitated a moment before she continued. "That seems very important to him."

The older woman seemed surprised for a second, but she quickly smiled and laughed lightly. "Ah, yes. His honor. Meiji does cling to this idea of…. trying to do what is right. But it has nothing to do with his family's motto. He rejects everything related to it. He always hated this motto. He said it was brainwashing, encouraging youths to follow orders without questions and rewarding them with a false sense of honor. He used to say that what they made you believe was "honor" in the guild was nothing but misplaced pride. I suppose he seeks to have 'real' honor now." She looked up at Verica with a raised brow. "Why are you asking me this?"

"It's just that…" Verica sighed as she rubbed the back of her neck. "I was just wondering why it was so important for him to repay his debt to me. And why he accepted to travel with me, since apparently he doesn't usually do that." She glanced back at Aeryn with a questioning look. "Why did he make an exception for me?"

"Hm, maybe he has the hots for you." Aeryn replied with a shrug.

Verica moved back as she blushed. "W-what? Y-you… you think? I-I don't even… he doesn't even know me that's-"

The woman's laughter cut her short in her denial. "I'm messing with you sweetcake. I have no idea why he accepted to travel with you. But really, I don't think you need to look farther than what you already know. You saved his life. That may not be something he values that much these days, but you went out of your way to help a complete stranger. That probably impressed him. Anyway, he was in debt towards you and Meiji takes debts very seriously. A debt is an obstacle to his freedom. And if there's something one eyed cherishes above anything else, it's his goddamn freedom." She said as she rolled her eyes. "So don't think too much into it. He had a debt, he had to repay it. It's as simple as that." She made a short pause before looking at Verica with a smile. "And who knows. Maybe he did feel lonely."

She crushed her cigarette on the table with a content sigh, stretching her back with a loud crack. She took a small pocket watch out of her pouch and nodded.

"Well, we should still have some time before mister jerk comes back. I can show you to a room if you want to rest. I'll help you leave the city in the afternoon, so you can sleep in the morning. Considering the hour, I think that would be the human thing to do." She said in a small laugh.

"I'm not sleepy… I've slept enough when I was on that damn drug…" Verica muttered under her breath, which made the assassin laugh even more.

"Fair enough. Then you can stay here with me. We can talk some more. I told you all about my world. Only natural that you tell me about yours no?"

"Eh?! Me? I-I… I have nothing interesting to say! My life is… really ordinary compared to your exciting assassin life." She replied shyly.

"I don't care. I want to know more about you." Aeryn said as she rested her elbows on the table. "And we don't have anything better to do right now anyway. So come on. Tell me about you."

Verica remained silent for a long moment, avoiding the gaze of the woman in front of her. She laughed awkwardly as she scratched her head in embarrassment. This was getting weird again. Why did she want to know about her anyway? Well, after everything she had just told her about Meiji and the assassins… she supposed it was only fair to satisfy her curiosity as well, even if she didn't understand it…

"A-alright. But it's not really interesting…"

"It's fine sweetcake! Just tell me where you're from. Tell me what's your story. Everyone has a story and they're all interesting. So come on!.

"O-ok…"

The young monk started to tell her about her life. How her mother died giving birth to her and how she was raised in the church from the beginning, starting her acolyte training at 5 years old. She told her about Kebbaku, her late teacher, and Kenneth, her current one. She left out some details of course. About how much the man meant to her and all the trouble she'd had before leaving. She also left out the part about the prophecy and the demons. Somehow she felt this was not a matter that should be discusted outside the Abbey... And certainly not with someone she'd just met.

She told her about the church and her transition to st capitolina, how her life was back there and the people she met. About Alek, Mathias and the head master. She spoke about anything that came to her mind. Anything but Kenneth though. She passed over that subject quickly, feeling her stomach turn every time his image came to her mind. The recent event had given something for her mind to focus on, but now it was back to wandering to her old problems. But really, her unwanted love for her teacher seemed like such a trivial thing compared to all the trouble Meiji was into…

Time passed quickly as she talked and the older woman simply listened to her with a smile on her lips. So much that after a while it made Verica feel a bit inappropriate.

"I-I'm so sorry… I'm talking so much…."

"It's ok. I like to know other people's story. You sound like a lucky girl. Despite your sad start, seems like you managed to get a lot of good people around you. No matter your problems, you can say that loneliness was never one. That's a good thing. The most important thing." Aeryn said in a low voice, smiling to herself. She was about to say something else, but the door abruptly opening behind her cut her off.

Verica jumped on her seat as she looked up at the door frame. Her eyes went wide when she saw Meiji standing there, covered in blood and with a bag equally coated with red in his hand.

"Aah, you're back!" Aeryn said with a content smile.

Meiji stared down at her and threw the bag at her feet, panting and his pupil dilated. His face was sprayed with blood and it made Verica extremely nervous.

"There. Happy?" He said to the older woman.

Aeryn opened the bag with her foot to look inside. Verica gasped when she saw hair coming out of it. The older woman simply smiled as she saw the whole head. "Yes, very much." She replied as she got up from the chair and walked up to him. She looked at his eye and checked his pulse. "How do you feel."

"I feel...exhilarate." He replied between rasp gulp of air. He removed his sakkat and lowered his scarf, as if it would help him breathe.

"Does your heart hurt? Do you feel dizzy?"

"My heart feels like it's going to explode. And my mind is foggy. I can barely hear you…" He closed his eyes a moment. "The sound of my blood pumping is covering everything else."

"Alright, sit down."

Meiji did as he was told, but he was restless. He kept looking everywhere around him, his fingers flexed and unflexed around his armchairs and one of his leg was shaking.

"Did you kill anyone beside him?" Aeryn asked as she took the counteragent to neutralize the berserk potion.

"Everyone."

The woman froze a second. "...That was not necessary."

"They were in the way."

Aeryn sighed as she resumed her work. They didn't call it "berserk" potion for nothing. She should have guessed it would end like this. Not that she cared. That dickhead of merchant was dead, that's all that mattered. "No other complications I should know of?"

"No."

Verica stared at him in confusion. And slightly worried. He looked like a completely different person. He looked… like a crazy murderer. All that blood on him was frightening. She looked briefly at the map, at all the little red dots. It made her stomach turn upside down to think that he alone had just killed so many people. People who probably had families and people who cared about them. People who didn't deserve to die, but were simply working for the wrong man at the wrong moment. It made her angry to think about it, but the sight of Meiji right now was covering her anger with fear…

"Give me your arm." Aeryn said, syringe between her fingers. But Meiji didn't move, as if he hadn't heard her. "Meiji, I said give me your arm."

The man in question raised his head to look at her. There was this unsettling hunger in his eye. This sparkle you see in the eyes of a warrior on the battlefield whose system is overwhelmed with adrenaline. But it didn't seem to shake the older woman one bit.

"Meiji." She repeated in a warning.

"Just wait a minute." He replied in a whisper. He looked like he was trying to stabilize his breathing, but he was obviously unable to. Aeryn frowned and gave him a stern look.

"I know it feels good one eyed, but it will damage your brain if you stay on that stuff for too long. And I don't want to risk you going on rampage in here either. Give me your freaking arm." Her tone was serious and she spoke loudly, as if she thought he couldn't hear her otherwise. The assassin stared at her for a short moment before he closed his eye and removed his glove, leaving his arm on the table.

"Good boy." Aeryn whispered, earning a glare from the man.

Verica watched with a mix of fear and confusion. She couldn't keep her eyes away from him. There was so much blood on him and his eye was animalistic. He looked more alive than she had ever seen him. But as she stared shamelessly at him, he turned his head toward her. Their gaze met and the young monk froze on her seat. She had never seen so much hunger in someone's eye. He looked at her so intensely, as if he was about to jump on her and slit her throat. She felt completely paralyzed as she stayed there under his gaze, unable to process a thought.

Aeryn injected him with the mixture and Meiji looked away from Verica to stare down at the needle. After a few second he took a sharp breath and leaned on the chair, closing his eye as his unoccupied hand gripped the armchair. A low moan escaped his throat as he let his head rest against the wall behind him, staring at the roof with an unfocused gaze. His breathing slowly became normal and his body relaxed. Aeryn removed the needle and checked his pulse briefly before smiling.

"See? Everything went according to the plan one eyed. I knew you could do it."

Meiji didn't reply. He simply stared into space as he took deep breathes, his whole body slowly going numb. To Verica it almost looked like he was drunk…

The older woman looked back at Verica. "Well, I'm not your mother so I'm not going to tell you what to do but I would really suggest you to get some rest now." She said, putting her things back in her pouch.

"I-I… what about him?" She asked, looking at Meiji with worry.

"Him? Don't worry, he's fine. But he's probably going to sleep there though. Right, one eyed?" She said as she ruffled his hair, only earning a small sigh in response as he closed his eye. Aeryn smiled softly as she glanced at Verica. "All that power and adrenaline leaving his system all of a sudden is harsh. I put a lot of anodyne in my counteragents to smooth the process. Too much some would say. But it kills the pain and relax muscles, so it's not a bad thing."

"Yeah but...he looks drunk…" Verica commented.

"Well… as I said I might be a bit too generous with the pain killers. Too much anodyne tends to cause some dizziness." She said as she took Meiji's chin to make him look at her. "He's pretty out of it right now. But don't worry it's not dangerous. It's normal. After being so overstimulated, it's best to just knock him out. Don't worry sweetcake, I know what I'm doing!" She finished with a chuckle. "Now, follow me. I'll show you to a room."

Verica got up from her chair to follow the assassin. She stopped briefly to look at Meiji, who seemed oblivious to her presence, as well as pretty much everything else, even himself. Then she left the room. She had this bad feeling of worry in her stomach. It troubled her slightly. Because she wasn't sure why she was feeling worried about him in the first place.

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><p>Thank you again :)<p> 


	42. 5:Always taking risks

Hello again. I have to admit I hate what I'm writing right now it feels like I don't know how to do it anymore and this is basically... just... a big pile of words who don't even serve the story but oh well.

Still writing... I'm not giving up.. so yay?

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><p><strong>Chapter 42 Always taking risks<strong>

There was something incredibly relaxing in sunrises. Verica had always loved them. The southern cliff of the abbey was the perfect place to watch it. With the ocean reflecting the sun and the wind blowing in her face, it made her feel like she was somewhere else. Somewhere that didn't really exist. It felt like a special moment every time and she loved that.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, smiling at how at peace this place made her feel. There were times she wished she could just stay here all day. But of course that was not possible.

The sound of footsteps made her turn around, bringing her out of her special moment.

"Hey." Kenneth walked toward her slowly, a hand raised to salute her and a warm smile on his face.

"Hi sensei." She replied, smiling as well.

He stopped beside her, hands in his pockets as he watched the sun rise with his student for a moment.

"You must really love this place if your mind comes back here even in your dream." Kenneth said in a low tone, as if speaking louder would make them disappear.

"I do." Verica turned away from the sunrise to look at her teacher. "Or maybe it's just to see you."

Kenneth's smile widened slightly as he glanced at her. "Maybe."

Verica took another deep breath. There was something really weird about being in a dream and being aware of it. She felt like she could do anything, control anything. Yet the way her dream was playing out right now suited her. She felt no need to change it.

"Do you think I miss you back at the Abbey?" The dream incarnation of her teacher said with a small laugh.

"I'm sure you do. I may be selfish, but I hope you do…"

"Hm… And do you miss me?"

The younger woman turned her head toward him, a sad smile on her lips. "Of course I do."

"You haven't even been gone for that long yet and you already miss me." Kenneth replied, meeting her gaze. "You'll be gone for much longer in order to become a champion. What will you do then?"

"I don't know...why?"

"I'm just wondering…" There was a long pause, both staring into each other's eyes for longer than was considered polite. Kenneth turned fully to face her before resuming. "It will be a long time before we see each other again. You'll see many things, live many experiences, meet interesting new people. And I'm wondering. Will time push me away from your mind? Will you still remember about me when you're a fully grown woman in control of her life? Will you still need me?"

Verica moved back a little, startled. She turned toward him as well, confusion in her eyes. "What? What kind of question is that? Of course I won't forget you. How could I?" She almost felt like laughing at how ridiculous it sounded.

But Kenneth simply stared at her with a sad smile. The same smile he had when she left, that let her see so much pain behind his eyes. He took her chin between his finger gently, brushing her skin with his thumb. "Isn't it why you left? To forget me?" He almost sounded like he was hurt.

"Of course not…" She whispered. "I left...because…." It was suddenly hard to remember why she left. She left because she felt hurt, besides Carly's incident. She left almost on a whim. She left because, in the emotional state she was, being with him hurt her more than anything. "I left because my love for you was painful. And I know this love is stupid because you're my teacher and you'll never see me as anything else than your student and your sister. I need those feelings to go away and I thought that living new experiences and discover the world would help me sort my emotions out and feel better about all this. I don't want to forget you. I just want to… forget how I feel about you."

Kenneth sighed and slowly brought her toward him, wrapping his arms around her as he smiled. She returned the hug and leaned her head on him, surprised at how real it felt.

"Maybe you shouldn't…" He said, barely above a whisper. Verica frowned at the comment. What was that supposed to mean?

"You have a long journey ahead of you. You'll have plenty of occasion to forget about how you feel about me." He continued, hugging her tightly with a hand in her hair. "You're already having big thrills and meeting new interesting people. But if I may; I told you to stay away from assassins. They cause only trouble."

Verica chuckled as she tightened her grip on him. "Yes, well, he's not that bad you know. It was my own decision to travel with him and I accepted the risks. And besides, he came back to save me."

"Well if I knew him I'm sure I wouldn't like him." Kenneth said quickly.

"Are you jealous sensei?" She laughed.

"Maybe I am." Kenneth smiled softly, caressing her hair. He moved her bangs away to place a light kiss on her forehead. "Promise me you won't forget me…"

"I could never forget you sensei."

"That's easy to say. But in a year, two years, three years...who knows what will have happened." He pulled away slightly to make her look at her, cupping her cheek with his hand. He gave her a warm smile before resting his forehead on hers and closing his eyes. "Please don't forget me."

Verica opened her eyes quickly, sitting up on her bed in a heartbeat. She felt like she had just been falling off a cliff, disoriented and her heart going crazy. She tried to calm her respiration as she slowly realized where and when she was. Looking around the small underground room she sighed and rubbed her temples in tiredness.

What kind of weird dream was that? It felt… so real. She felt like she really had been talking to her teacher just now. It was disturbing, because it wasn't a memory. It was like she'd just had a real, new conversation with him… yet she simply spoke to herself. It was just weird. Why was she even dreaming of this?

Well it probably didn't mean much. Because of Kenneth's strange dream, she had a tendency to think all dreams meant something. But she was not Kenneth. Her dreams were probably just that: dreams. There was no point in trying to understand it…

And better have strange dreams like this than errotic ones like last time...

She looked at the almost completely burnt down candle near her bed. She didn't know for how long she had slept and had no idea what time it was, with no window in the room. Getting out of bed, she made her way to the door to see if Aeryn was up. And check on Meiji at the same time. She had gone to bed right after he came back. She wondered if he was still out of it on the chair.

She left her small room and ventured into the corridor. She passed by the many other doors until she reached the place they were in yesterday night. She knocked on the door to see if someone was there, but got no reply, and so she opened it.

First thing she saw was Meiji, still sitting on the chair they had left him on yesterday, his head tilted and his arm hanging from the armchair. His other arm was still laying on the table. She moved toward him slowly, not sure what to do now. Should she wake him up?

"M-Meiji?" She said in a low tone. The man ignored her completely, fast asleep. Verica looked around, uncomfortable. She really didn't know what to do now. She had no idea where Aeryn was and Meiji was still out of it. She should have stayed in her room…

A small sigh coming from the assassin made her jump a little. He moved slightly, turning his head and his fingers twitching. Verica remained where she was, without a sound, and Meiji simply kept on sleeping.

She sighed as she looked at him. How could he even sleep on a chair like this? It was probably really uncomfortable. As she stared at him more closely she noticed how peaceful he looked. He almost had more expression on his face when he was asleep. His chest moved up and down in a steady rhythm and his parted lips let equally steady breath out every time. He looked so vulnerable. So incredibly human. So different from when he was awake, acting like an emotionless shell with no soul. But here he was, sleeping like everyone else and looking almost like an innocent child doing so. She couldn't explain it, but it was comforting; his serene expression somehow calming her as well. It was strange how a man who had killed so many people seemed so at peace when he slept, while on the other hand her teacher who had nothing to reproach himself always looked tormented in his sleep…

Her eyes settled on his eyepatch while she pondered her thoughts. Once again she noticed how there was no sign of scar around it. She really wondered what happened for him to lose his eye in such a clean way…

Verica was a very curious girl. Some would argue too curious. It was in those moment that she really couldn't deny that…

She looked around nervously, as if it would change something, before looking back at his eyepatch. She took a deep breath and slowly reached for his face, holding her breath when her fingers almost reached the piece of leather.

The door opened beside her and Verica straightened up quickly, retreating her hand and moving away from the assassin as her heart skipped a beat. Aeryn walked into the room slowly and closed the door behind her with a small smile, apparently unaware of Verica's display of excessive curiosity.

"Ah, you're awake." The older woman commented.

"Y-yes. I-I just got up….just now…" Verica replied quickly.

Aeryn looked at Meiji with a raised brow. "Can't say the same about him"

She walked up to him and grabbed the back of his chair, tilting it. Meiji started to slide down the chair and as he was about to fall he woke up with a start, gasping and reaching for the table beside him to hold himself back. Aeryn let go of the chair and laughed lightly. "Good morning one eyed."

The man closed his eye in confusion for a short moment as his heart slowly recovered from the startling wake up. He glared at the woman briefly before leaning his elbow on his knees and rubbing his face with a grunt.

"You're despicable…"

"You upset those you like. I'm just showing my love for you."

"Show it to someone else please." He mumbled, trying to wake up properly.

Verica tried to keep the smile away from her face. That woman was really something. She seemed so powerful and in control of everything around her. So different from when she had seen her in the forest. She supposed the woman only acted so carefree around people she trusted, like Meiji. It was kind of honoring. In all honesty, she liked her quite a lot.

Meiji leaned back on his chair with a sigh, moving his arm that hurt because of the position he slept in.

"How do you feel?" Aeryn asked.

"Like I'm hangovered."

"No, believe me you look worst than that when you're hangovered." Aeryn commented with a small laugh. "No side effects? Do you remember what happened?"

"I'm fine. My head just hurt. I remember what happened in general. I can't concentrate on specific details but..." Meiji started as he rubbed his fingers on his face, feeling the dry blood all over him. "...I can tell it wasn't pretty."

"Don't worry. You got the job done. Just… a few more casualties than I expected. But from what you told me yesterday there's no one left alive to identify you. You should be fine for that." The older woman replied as she handed him a tissue so he could clean himself.

"Good. I don't need those kind of problems on top of those I already have." He said as he started to remove the blood from his face.

"Thanks again one eyed. You really did me a favor last night." She thanked him in a soft tone, smiling gently at the man.

"It's fine sis." He replied with a faint smile. The first real smile Verica had seen on his lips, no matter how small it was. The way he called her sis made Verica smile as well. Was this man really the same jerk she had travelled with for the past weeks? "You know you can ask me anythin-." He froze mid sentence as his gaze settled on Verica, realizing she was there for the first time. "...You're still here?"

Verica was startled by the question. "I-I...erm, yes. I'm… still here."

"I thought you were supposed to leave in the morning." He replied, his expression back to its usual façade, the man she had seen a few seconds ago disappearing behind this emotionless eye.

"Give the girl a break one eyed. She just woke up. After what she's been through give her some time to adjust will you?" Aeryn said with a frown.

Meiji closed his eye and shrugged. "Of course. I didn't mean to sound disrespectful."

"I-it's fine…" Verica replied shyly. The older woman turned toward her and smiled.

"Well. If you want to leave now, we can go. It's…" She hesitated a moment, staring at Verica in the eyes with a strange look. "It's up to you what you want to do now."

Verica froze a moment. Did she really want to leave now? In all honesty, after hearing Meiji's story yesterday, she really didn't see him in the same light. She looked back at him, sitting on the chair and rubbing his head like he had a headache. It's true she's had her arguments with him. Their relationship didn't really start very well. But as she looked at him now, after knowing who he was… she didn't hate him that much after all. She didn't hate him at all actually. They had their difference but that was fine. When she was in danger, he risked being captured to save her. No matter if it was just his sense of honor that made him come back, it still counted for something. In the end, he was just a lonely man…

And Aeryn's words still rang in her head. She had asked if Meiji's wounds could have been done by himself. She was scared he had tried to kill himself. That made Verica's heart shrank in her chest. She couldn't even begin to imagine how someone could do such a thing, and yet here she had it in front of her. The more she looked at him and the more she knew about him, the more the idea of him wanting to end his life was plausible. What was a life anyway when you were constantly on the run and unable to leave a peacefull life. Maybe Aeryn did have reasons to worry… and her worries were rubbing off on her…

She might not know him that much. He might not be anyone to her and she might not mean anything to him either. But she couldn't find it in herself not to care. Right now… she didn't feel like leaving anymore. Not alone…

"I-I…" She started, still hesitating. Once she spoke there would be no going back. "I… I changed my mind."

Meiji's head snapped back up to look at her. "What?" Aeryn gave her a surprised look as well.

"I changed my mind… I'll keep travelling with you." She repeated, looking at Meiji. She tried to hold his gaze, but looked away quickly, too shy.

The assassin frowned at her. "I thought you wanted to part ways."

"Well I don't anymore. You still have a debt to pay after all."

An awkward silence filled the room as Meiji frowned at Verica. He seemed to be deep in thoughts and honestly, not very happy about her change of heart.

"When we entered the city, you said my debt was paid." He insisted.

"Y-yes… well when we met you agreed to bring me to Juno. I'm not in Juno yet so… Let's do the rest of the road together. Like we agreed." She finished, forcing herself to look back at the assassin with as much confidence as she could.

"I-" Meiji stared at her in confusion, searching for his words. He looked down and after a short moment of reflection, he sighed deeply and nodded. "Very well. If… that's what you want. A promise is a promise, I suppose. But you should be aware that something like this could happen again." He said, trying to dissuade her.

"I know. But that's what I want. You have to leave anyway because of those men looking for you. I have to leave too, so we might as well leave together." Verica replied in a low tone. This was awkward. But it felt even more awkward when she saw Aeryn smiling at her gently from the corner of her eye.

"Well, you heard the girl." The older woman said. "Seems like your job's not done yet one eyed."

Meiji turned his attention to the other assassin and his eye narrowed at her suspiciously as he got up from his chair. "Apparently…"

"Alright." She shrugged as she turned around. "Since this is settled let's go to the tunnel then. There you can leave Rune Midgard and get in the Republic of Schwartzvalt."

Verica was about to follow her, but stopped when she noticed Meiji's gaze on her. He didn't seem very happy about all this. She really hoped she hadn't just put herself in even more trouble… she probably had. She was getting good at that.

Meiji woke up Daniel, telling him that they were leaving. When his eyes settled on Verica he asked something to his master. Meiji sighed at him.

"Yes… we're going with her."

That seemed to please the little demon, who smiled at Verica. She smiled back, trying to ignore how upset the assassin seemed to be….

The three of them left the tavern's basement and Aeryn gave Verica her backpack.

"What? How did you…"

"It was in the back alleys where the assassins kidnapped you." Meiji said. "I picked it up for you."

Verica took her things and smiled timidly. "I...thank you."

Meiji shrugged as he put his own bag on his back. Aeryn led them to the tunnel that would take them outside. Once there, she turned toward Meiji and took a leather roll out of the bag she wore across her shoulder.

"Here." She said as she gave it to him. The man took it with a frown and unrolled it. Verica barely had time to see small phials filled with a dark liquid before he closed it quickly. She thought maybe it was the same stuff she had given him yesterday, but it wasn't the same color. She didn't know any kind of potion that was black like this. And anyway potions didn't come in such small phials… so what was that?

Not like she was going to have an answer even if she asked...

"I know it's hard to get that stuff outside the guild." Aeryn said with a smile.

"Thanks." Meiji replied quietly, putting the roll in his bag.

"You're welcome." She took her packs of cigarette out, taking one and offering the rest to Meiji. "You want some of that too? I've got plenty."

The man raised his hand in refusal. "No thanks." That made the other assassin snort, incredulous.

"You? Saying no to free cigarettes? This is real morroc tobacco you know? Not some fake shit merchant sells in Alberta."

"I stopped."

That made the woman laugh even more, obviously not believing him. "You stopped? You? Mister two packs a day? Since when?"

"... 3 weeks." Meiji replied with a shrug after a short moment of hesitation.

"Ah! Then you should take them anyway. I've never seen you last more than a month without tobacco. You're addicted to that shit like a mage on blue potion." Aeryn laughed as she held the pack out to Meiji again.

"Yes, well records are there to be broken." He said as he pushed the pack away from him. "It's not because you can't stop that no one can, Aeryn."

"Ah! I could stop, one eyed." The woman said as she put the cigarettes back in her pouch and lit the one between her lips. "I simply don't want to."

"Do what you want and I'll do what I want." He replied in a tired sigh. "Now can we get going?" He asked as he turned toward Verica. The young monk nodded timidly, but Aeryn didn't let them leave like that.

"Aahh, saying goodbye already? Alright then. I hope I won't have to save your ass like this again Meiji. But it was nice to see you. It's been a long time."

"Not long enough." He mumbled.

"What was that? You want a hug?" Aeryn said with a mischievous smile, faking to have misheard him. "Of course you can have a hug." She moved toward him with her arms open. Meiji raised his hand and pushed on her chest to keep her away.

"I don't want a hug." He replied quickly with an irritated frown.

"Yes you do, come here." She insisted, removing his hand and closing in on him. She patted his back gently as Meiji stood there stiffly, sighing in annoyance. Verica couldn't help but laugh lightly. They really were like sibling. A very impassive little brother and an unnerving older sister. It was kind of charming.

She let go of her friend as she glanced at Daniel beside him. "Take care of your master little guy." The demon pet nodded with a smile as Meiji turned on his heel hastily.

"Can we go now?" The assassin said impatiently, eager to leave the exasperating presence of his friend. Verica was about to follow him but Aeryn stopped her yet again.

"Not so fast sweetcake. You get a hug too. Meiji's friends are my friends."

"She's not my friend." Meiji retorted as he kept walking away.

"Don't listen to him." Aeryn said with a smile. She hugged the younger girl gently, inviting her to do the same. Verica laughed awkwardly as she timidly put her hands on the woman's back. The way she was hugging her was… erm… very intimate. She pressed herself against the monk as she held her by the small of her back, forcing their hips to connect. For someone who had just met her, she sure was...friendly…

But as Verica tried to get out of her grip, uncomfortable, she felt her breath on her ear.

"Please…" Aeryn whispered to her. "Look after him…"

Verica froze and her eyes widened in surprise as the assassin pulled away from her. The woman stared down at her with pleading eyes mixed with worry. They exchanged gaze for a long moment, as if they could somehow speak without words. After what seemed like an eternity, Verica smiled softly and nodded, trying to look reassuring. It made Aeryn smile in return as she closed her eyes, satisfied. Verica wasn't sure what to make of this... but if this woman cared so much about him, it must be because somehow he wasn't that much of a jerk...

Meiji stopped and turned back toward the two women, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Let her go Aeryn. She's a monk, you won't get anything from her."

The two women looked back at him, Verica confused and Aeryn laughing. "Oh but I like innocent girls Meiji, you know that."

"Your girlfriend wouldn't like hearing that."

...

….Wait… what? Verica's eyes grew wider and she opened her mouth to say something, but remained silent.

"Keep her out this, one eyed. I swear you can't take a joke, you're way too serious. Why do I even bother keeping you alive I wonder." Aeryn said with a fake tired look. She turned around and walked away from the girl, raising her hand in a last goodbye as she left. "Have a safe trip."

Verica stared at the woman leaving for a long moment, processing the information.

So that's what she meant when she said "I don't eat that kind of meat"...

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><p>Where is this going you say? Well it's going exactly where you think it's going and I'm sorry XD<p> 


	43. 5:Getting comfortable

Here you go. not much happening in this chapter. All blah blah again. did I ever tell you I loved blah blah? :P Just kidding. I know I did XD

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><p><strong>Chapter 43 Getting comfortable<strong>

"Are you alright?"

Verica's shy voice resonated in the underground tunnel lit only by the torch in Meiji's hand as they walked toward the Juno fields. Her eyes kept settling on the dry blood soaking the assassin's clothes. She couldn't get the images of him from yesterday out of her head; hungry for blood and driven by adrenaline. He seemed to be back to normal now, but he still made her feel so uneasy. More than once as they walked she thought about going back to the tavern's basement, her fear about the man she was about to travel with once again bubbling up to the surface. But every time, Aeryn's words rang in her head, asking her to watch over him.

Every time she felt a pang of pity rise in her chest about the assassin's unfortunate life and she couldn't help but feel the need to stay with him, just to make sure he was safe. It was irrational and she felt so stupid at the moment. She didn't owe him anything, nor did she owed anything to Aeryn. But still her feet carried her forward. Still she cared and it made her follow him, as she told herself it was simply the thirst for adventure that made her continue. As much as she had freaked out during the last days' events, she couldn't deny how exciting it had been...

The man in question didn't even look at her as he replied to her.

"Yes."

"..O-ok…" She obviously wasn't satisfied with the answer but didn't dare say more. Meiji narrowed his eye at her briefly.

"What is it?"

"I-it's nothing." Verica replied hastily. "I-I just… you were pretty out of it yesterday. I've never seen anything like this. That potion she gave you… it made you so…"

"Are you worried I'm still under the potion's influence?"

"N-no." She was trying very hard not to stutter but he made her feel so nervous now. "I-I can see that you… that you're back to your normal self."

"This is not something I'm used to take. Sorry if I scared you." He said dismissively, not really sounding sorry at all. Verica hesitated a long moment before she spoke again.

"I-I… D-did you… did you really kill all those people? A-all by yourself?"

The assassin didn't answer right away. He squinted his eye and looked away, as if he was trying to remember. Then he simply shrugged at the question.

"I suppose. I'll be honest, my memories are foggy about last night. I don't even remember coming back here. But if they got in my way, then yes, I suppose I killed all of them."

"They didn't do anything to you…" Verica whispered, still angry at how little respect the man showed to life.

"They opposed me. They would have killed me if I didn't do it first." Meiji replied in a sigh, already tired of the conversation as he could see where it was going. Debating about the right to kill with a monk was not a good idea. He had learned that already.

"All they did was work for the wrong guy." She continued, refusing to let the matter go.

"That's their problem. Not mine. The man they worked for was an enemy. Therefore they became enemies as well.

"Enemies? They didn't even know you. You had nothing against them..."

"Aeryn's enemies are my enemies." He said calmly as he looked down at the monk. "I don't need to know more than that."

Verica was surprised by the answer. She had seen how much the older woman cared about him, but Meiji's feelings were harder to discern; sometimes pushing the woman away, other times calling her a sister. But obviously she was important to him and he respected her a lot. Meiji simply had… a different way to show it she supposed.

It was kind of reassuring to see him care about another human being. And to see how loyal he was to her. Those two probably shared a lot of history. She wished she knew more about them and their "brother-sister" relationship, but then she told herself she probably knew enough about him already… too much if she did say so herself…

The last piece of information about Aeryn's sexuality was definitely too much. She didn't need to know that… it made her feel kind of uncomfortable about her now. She just wasn't used to this.

She looked back in front of her as she kept walking beside the assassin, pushing her thoughts away. All this was none of her business and yesterday's events were already long gone. There was nothing she could do about it and there was no point in getting worked up over it. Those people were already dead.

And so she kept moving forward, in silence. As it had been from the abbey to Al De Baran and as it would probably be for the rest of the way as well. That's what she told herself anyway.

So she was very surprised to hear the assassin initiate the conversation with her this time.

"Why did you change your mind?"

She looked up at him, almost startled. The way the fire casted such sharp shadows on Meiji made him look even more enigmatic. It was kind of strange how he still seemed shrouded in mystery, even though she now knew so much about him.

"Why do you care?" She replied, not wanting to elaborate on the subject. The man shrugged as he buried his hand in his pocket.

"You made it clear that you didn't want to have anything to do with me anymore. In all honesty, you seemed terrified last night. I'm just wondering why you had this change of heart." He said slowly, glancing down at her suspiciously, which made Verica shrink under his gaze. His baphomet jr followed behind them in silence, but was obviously very interested in the conversation.

"W-well we both had to leave the city anyway." She replied quickly, looking away from him. No way she was telling him about what Aeryn said. She wasn't even sure of her reasons herself. How was she supposed to give him a satisfying answer? "I know I put myself in danger when I decided to follow you, I take part of the blame for what happened. And you came back to save me. That has to count for something." She shrugged and smiled shyly as she glanced back at the assassin. "I'm sorry for calling you a jerk. All things considered you can't be all that bad, especially if Aeryn cares so much about you…"

That made the assassin raise a brow at the younger woman, before he looked back in front of him with a tired sigh.

"Aeryn is a crazy bitch and her opinion should not be a reference for normal people."

Verica jumped at his choice of words. She had never heard him curse or use crude words in all the time they travelled together. It sounded so odd coming out of his mouth…

"Isn't she your friend?" She asked with furrowed brows.

"Yes."

"Well that's not a very nice thing to say about your friend..."

"Maybe. But it's the truth." He said with a small shrug.

The monk frowned at him but decided not to push the subject. Every time she convinced herself that he wasn't really THAT bad, he said something like this that made him sound like the worst emotionless bastard.

They kept on walking in silence for a few more minutes. It was so awkward. Verica felt like she needed to talk about what she knew. It seemed so unfair that she'd heard about all those things that happened to him and his life in general while he wasn't aware of it. She felt like an hypocrite...

"So. What did she tell you?" Meiji's voice brought her back from her small guilt trip, initiating the conversation for the second time. She bit her lips and started to play with her hands.

"What are you talking about?"

"I know Aeryn. She loves to annoy me." He said with a very matter of fact tone before looking down at Verica, his eye as unreadable as always. "So how much did she tell you? About me?"

Verica tried to hold his gaze, but the way his face was all covered except for his nose and one eye made it so difficult to look at him casually. His orange eye seemed so bright with the fire's reflection dancing in it, it was almost surreal. She looked away guiltily. Lying now was out of the question.

"She told me who you were. Who she was. Why you were in so much trouble." She started, still playing with her hands. Meiji's eye settled on them, noticing how this seemed to be a recurrent nervous reaction for the girl. "She told me about your father, why he wants to bring you back, why the guild wants to kill you…why you left." She looked back at him shyly, scared of his reaction. She knew he was probably pissed...the question was: how was he going to show it?

Meiji closed his eye and sighed, remaining silent as he kept walking for a short moment before nodding.

"I hope my story entertained you."

"W-what? O-of course not..." She replied quickly with a frown, not understanding his comment. "It's… it's a horribly sad story. I still can't believe it. I mean, if I were you I would never have had the courage to live on the run for so long it's just so awful. It must have been so hard for you and-"

"I don't need your pity, little monk." He interrupted her abruptly, still looking straight in front of him. She noticed how he called her. She didn't know if he had forgotten their argument about the nickname, or if he had called her like this on purpose. Either way she didn't feel like commenting on this now…

"I… that's not what I meant."

"My problems are my own. The fact that you know who I am now doesn't change anything. We are not friends and we don't need to be. If you think that you're doing a good deed right now by traveling with the lonely assassin who needs company, you and I are going to have some serious issues. Stay out of my life. Stay out of my problems and I'll do everything to keep you out of them as well. Do that and I'll bring you to Juno in one piece as I swore I would, and we can both go on with our lives once it's over. Do we have an agreement?"

Verica nodded nervously. She found it so unsettling how he made it sound like a sealing contract and a warning at the same time. "Step out of line and I'll go concentrated-berserk-potion-boosted assassin on your ass."

That's what it sounded like…especially the "one piece" part. She had to stop reading too much into what he was saying…

She felt kind of ashamed after what he said. Was she just trying to do a good deed? Well not really… maybe? She wasn't sure of what she was doing nor why honestly. She was going on instinct right now, and her instinct told her to stay with him. That their adventure was not over.

It had nothing to do with the fact that his only friend was scared he was going to kill himself and had asked her to look after him in her stead. Even though the man didn't seem that suicidal to Verica… but appearance were often misleading about that.

She was not doing a very good job at persuading herself that her actions were not driven by pity and misplaced worries though...

All things considered, she came to the conclusion that things couldn't get worse anyway. The men after him knew what she looked like. Even if she was to leave now, they would probably find her. She really didn't want that. In the end, the best option was probably to stay with him; that's where she would be safer. She just needed to… get along a little bit better with him. He was probably a very nice man once you became his friend… not that she hoped for that. But surely they could manage a polite and respectful relationship for the rest of the journey. He had proven already that he wasn't dangerous. Well, as long as you didn't get in his way. She could deal with that she supposed.

Meiji nodded in return as well, satisfied with their little contract, but Verica frowned at him as something came to her mind.

"You're quick to question my motives about why I'm still traveling with you. But really I could throw the question back at you, you know. Why are you so adamant about repaying me? Why do you care so much about your honor? Why are you even helping me?"

"Is it a bad thing to want to do what is right and just?" He replied with a raised brow, staring down at the smaller woman.

"N-no.. of course not. But why do you care so much?"

He kept walking in silence for a moment before replying in a whisper. "What else is there to care about in this world?"

Verica stared at him, uneasy. What was that even supposed to mean? This man was the weirdest thing…

She hesitated a moment before narrowing her eyes at the assassin. "Is killing considered right and just?"

A deep sigh escaped Meiji's lips as he closed his eye and bowed his head. "It depends on the situation. But let's not go there again will you? We both already know how this conversation ends."

Verica pouted and looked away, crossing her arms over her chest. "Fine…"

The assassin cross stared down at her for a long moment. Long enough to make her feel uncomfortable and she stared back at him with a frown. "What?"

"Nothing…" He looked away again, making the situation all the more awkward. But after only a few seconds, he cleared his throat. "I hum… If I may say…" Verica glanced up at him curiously, which made him pause, as if he was searching for the right words. "I'm serious about this debt and the deal we made. I do owe you my life. It may not be worth much right now, but you saved it. Honestly, if I'd been you, I would have left the assassin to die on his own. You didn't know me and didn't owe me anything. Yet you took the time and energy to help me, despite the dangers it could imply. I'll be honest… even if your actions may be the result of naivety… I do admire your selflessness." He finished in this smooth calming tone of his. He glanced down at Verica briefly before looking back into the darkness of the tunnel.

Verica stayed silent, stunned for a few seconds. Did she just hear correctly? Was that… some kind of compliment? What was she supposed to say to that...

"I-I...Well, t-thank you…" She replied in a whisper, feeling the blush creeping up her face. The man simply ignored her and kept walking. Really, how could he be such a jerk and then say things like that?

She smiled lightly as they ventured further into the tunnel. She could start to feel the breeze. Soon they'd be outside. She kept stealing glances at Meiji as they walked. He seemed different from before. Maybe because he felt safe here? She didn't know why but somehow she knew his behavior would change once they were back outside. Now was probably the best moment to speak her mind…

"May I say something too?" She asked tentatively. The taller man turned his head toward her with a questioning look.

"Hm?"

"I-I… I don't want to insult you. Or sound like I pity you or anything like that…" She rubbed the back of her neck as she looked away, trying not to be so awkward. "I-I just want to say that I meant what I said earlier. How you left your home like this. How you defied you father. It must have… taken a lot of courage to do this. It was hard for me to leave my home and join the abbey so I can imagine..." She smiled as she looked up at him. "You're really courageous."

The assassin cross stared back at her for a long moment as his walking pace slowed down slightly and his eye widened a little. He looked down briefly, thoughtful, before shrugging and replying in a hushed voice

"It wasn't courageous. It was incredibly stupid. And suicidal."

"W-well you're still alive." Verica said with a small laugh, smiling gently at him.

"For the moment."

"At least you're free right?" She said tentatively. "Would you rather be back in the guild?"

Meiji looked back at her quickly, startled by the question. "Of course not…" He paused before sighing. "But leaving was still a crazy idea… and I was even more crazy for acting on it."

Verica's smile widened, happy to have a seemingly normal conversation with the man. She felt more at ease. Maybe it was because of how she had seen him act with Aeryn. He seemed less distant… more human. Her ease made her forget to think twice before speaking for a moment…

"So you're a crazy bitch too then?" She commented as she giggled lightly at her own joke, using his own words on him.

But the man didn't seem to find it all that funny. He frowned at stared back at the younger woman with a strange mix of confusion and surprise in his eye. Verica looked away quickly, biting her lips and banging her head on a imaginary wall inside her head. Oh god that was awkward. She really knew how to embarrass herself, what had she done…

Meiji looked away and shrugged after a short awkward silence. "Yeah. Pretty much."

Verica turned to him in surprise, but he ignored her. She smiled and joined her hands behind her back, feeling her cheeks heating up again. She sighed inwardly in relief, happy that she hadn't insulted him. She tried in vain not to smile too much at his reply; a reply that was either playful… or way too honest.

In any case, maybe she could hope for this journey to be better than she expected after all. She looked back in the darkness behind her, catching Daniel's gaze at the same time. He smiled happily at her, which made her smile even more. As long as they kept out of trouble, this could still be very interesting she decided. But as she kept walking and staring at what laid behind her, she couldn't help but have a small thought for the people back at home. Her smile faded as she thought about the letters in her bag. One for Alek and one for Kenneth. She wanted to post them in Al De Baran, but that would not be possible…

She hoped her sensei won't worry too much despite the lack of news from her… and that he was doing ok back at the Abbey.

* * *

><p>"There is no point in staying here all day and night Mathias. You should get some sleep." Touha said in a hushed tone as she put a blanket over her shoulders to warm herself up; her tiredness making her cold. The man in question didn't even look up as he replied.<p>

"I'll sleep when I'm dead."

The small woman sighed and gave a look of disapprovement to the old champion sitting on a chair beside the bed in the infirmary. His student lay under the covers, not moving and appearing simply asleep to someone who didn't know better. But she knew better. She had tried to wake him up and help him recover from this horrible experience he had gone through in the sealed shrine. But there was nothing she could do for him. For weeks he laid there; short moans of distress leaving his throat when you least expected it and his body spasming. She couldn't even say if his state was getting better or worse. His fate was in God's hand now.

What she could do though was making sure Mathias didn't make himself sick by watching over his comatose student, barely sleeping or eating...

"I'm not Yolene, Mathias. You won't get me off your back with bad jokes." She walked up to him with a stern look and bent down to look at him in the eyes. "You've stayed here long enough. Go back to the sanctuary and sleep. Staying here won't make him wake up you know."

"I know…" He whispered weakly. The bags under his eyes made him look even older than he really was and his breath stank alcohol even more than usual. He sighed deeply as he closed his eyes for a moment, rubbing them with his fingers in tiredness. "But it won't make him wake up either if I do go to sleep."

Touha bowed his head with a sad frown as she moved away from him, walking toward the exit to go to bed herself. "You're just hurting yourself by staying here Mathias."

"It's all I deserve." The man replied as he looked back at Kenneth's face. He had spent so much time looking at him in the past weeks, he was pretty sure he could draw the boy's face only from memory now. "Tomoon got kicked out of the council and Joey just came back from the hole. I should be down there with him. I have to be punished for what I've done… and this is my penance."

"Don't fool yourself. The headmaster's soft spot for you is the only reason why you're here. She knows that this is already a punishment." She said as she nodded her head toward Kenneth. "But if he wakes up… you won't escape it you know. You'll be sent to the hole too. For probably longer than Joey. What you did was too dangerous." The woman took a small pause to calm herself, feeling the heat bubbling up to her head. She was very angry at what the four men had done. She understood it, but risking the safety of the entire world like this in secret was unforgivable. The old monk kept staring at his student with tired eyes while he replied in a hushed tone, his voice cracking because of the lack of sleep.

"The dark feeling from the hole is nothing compared to the feeling of guilt I have right now." He lazily turned his head just enough to catch the woman's gaze. "I believe you can relate to that."

An uncomfortable silence pervaded the room. Touha stood in front of the door for a long moment, staring at Mathias with pity. As much as she was angry, she couldn't deny that he was right. There was nothing worst than looking at the pain of your pupil, the child who was put into your care with thrust, and be unable to do anything for him. She knew the sensation all too well and this horrible feeling of guilt still haunted her every day as she prayed in the cemetery over the grave of a boy who should have lived for so much longer…

Mathias saw this dark veil of sadness fall over Touha's eyes and he immediately regretted his words. "I'm sorry." He started as he looked down at his feet. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine. We all have our wounds. We have to learn how to live with them. You...you'll have to accept that maybe…" She searched for the right words and sighed. "Maybe you'll have to learn to live with this guilt for the rest of your life. Mathias… I really don't think Kenneth will ever wake up…"

She saw his body tense and his head bowed down even more. "Maybe. If he never wakes up then I'll never leave this chair."

Touha sighed one last time before turning back toward the door. There was nothing more she could do for this old man…

The door of the infirmary opened right before she was about to leave, Carly appearing before her.

"Carly?"

"Good evening Touha… or should I say good night?" The blond woman greeted with a weak smile. Mathias turned around to see the newcomer, a small smile of his own on his lips.

"Ahh, have you come to keep me company? My night just got a lot brighter if I'm to spend it with such a pretty woman."

Carly laughed softly at the man's flirt. Even if it didn't hold the same happiness and joyfulness it usually did. His words sounded hollow, said in a voice that almost wasn't his.

"I couldn't sleep… again. I just came to see how Kenneth was doing tonight."

"No change I'm afraid." Touha replied in another sigh. Carly walked up to her friend slowly as she tried to ignore the pain in her chest.

"It's been weeks…"

"Don't lose faith Carly." Mathias whispered. "That's what we're supposed to be good at. Having faith."

"Yes. I suppose you're right. Kenneth is a strong man. If someone can do this… he can." The blonde replied with a forced smile, trying to convince herself. The sight of the two devastated monk made Touha's heart shrink in the chest. If only things hadn't gone the way they did…

They all stayed in silence for a short moment before it was interrupted by Kenneth's small moan, his brow furrowing for a fraction of second and his body spasming. Every time, Mathias hoped it was him waking up. Every time he hoped to see his eyes open and hear him talk. But every time it was the same. Every single time he would go silent again…

When he saw his fist tightening and heard another grunt, followed by a sharp breath, he thought it was his lack of sleep making him imagining things. But Carly's eyes widened as her hand grabbed Kenneth's.

"W-what's going on?" She asked, slightly scared as her friend started to breathe heavily and his body shook; his face contorting in pain. Touha let go of the blanket on her shoulders to rush to Kenneth's side.

"I don't know. He's never done this before…"

"Well do something." Mathias said to Touha in panic as he got up from his chair and took his student's face between his hands to make him look at him.

"What do you expect me to do? I don't even know what's wrong!"

The old man wasn't listening as he opened Kenneth's eyelid to look at his eye, that was rolling upward. He had no idea what he was doing and no idea what to do. The younger man's pulse was getting faster as he clenched his teeth. He looked just like he did back in the sealed shrine, with the great demon tearing up his mind...

"Kenneth." He called his name as he gently slapped the man's cheek. "Kenneth can you hear me?"

"Kenneth…" Carly tried to stay calm as she gripped his hand with all her strength; the painful expression on the younger man scaring her. She didn't know what else to do but look at him and hold his hand…

Touha tried to heal him, but there was nothing to heal. She stared at him like the others, not knowing what was going on or what to do.

A louder moan escaped the champion's lip and his body went rigid; his breathing going faster and faster until he took a deep, sharp breath as if he was coming out of the water.

And with this sharp inhalation his eyes opened wide, focusing on the three worried faces hovering over him. A dry cough came out of his throat before a stunned silence filled the room.

* * *

><p>some of you will be happy to come back to Kenneth I'm sure ^^<p> 


	44. 5:Coping mechanism

Here we go again. I'm proud of myself for updating so often XD

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 44 Coping mechanism. <strong>

"Kenneth?"

A feminine voice reached Kenneth's ears as he slowly woke up, disoriented and confused. It seemed to be coming from so far away and he didn't recognized it at first. He could smells eggs and feel the warmth of the sun on his head. The sound of birds chirping only added to his confusion. He tried to think, tried to remember where he was. The more he tried to think the less he could remember.

"Kenneth?"

That voice again. It seemed closer now. His eyes felt like they were glued shut but he tried to open them anyway as he slowly became aware of his body. He was sitting on a chair, half laying on a table and his head resting on his crossed arms.

He opened his eyes with difficulty, blinking at the bright light assaulting his sight. He grunted and brought his fingers to his face to rub his sleepy eyes, still unable to understand where he was.

"I swear you're always sleeping. Don't you sleep at night?"

Kenneth looked down at the table, letting his eyes adjust to the light. He shook his head briefly before raising his head toward that voice.

His eyes widened and his body froze when he met marine eyes staring back at him.

"...Julian?" He whispered incredulously, his voice rusty. The woman before him smiled gently, but gave him a weird look.

"Yes. It's me. What a surprise to see me in my own home, isn't it?" She joked as she turned around toward a stove where eggs were being cooked. Kenneth simply stared at her in confusion, jaw dropped and his brain unable to process a thought. She turned the eggs before looking back at the black haired man, an hint of worry in her eyes this time. "Is everything ok? You're weird."

Kenneth blinked, taking a few seconds to look at her. He took in his environment, recognizing the girl's kitchen and seeing the sun out by the window. He cleared his throat before straightening on his chair.

"Y-yes. I-I'm fine." He replied slowly, trying to wake up properly. Why was he feeling so confused?

"Are you sure? You look surprised to see me." Julian said with a small giggle, which made Kenneth smile.

"I-I'm not surprised, I'm just…" He frowned as he tried to put some order to his thoughts. "I don't know…"

The young woman raised a brow at him before moving in for a kiss, brushing her lips against his forehead gently.

"You're just not fully awake yet." She said matter-of-factly with a smile, patting Kenneth's head affectionately. She turned back toward her stove to put the eggs in plates and handed one to Kenneth. "Come on. Eat. It will wake you up!"

Kenneth hesitated a moment but finally took the plate with a small smile, putting it down on the table before him. He watched as Julian sat down and started to eat. He looked around again, trying to understand why he was feeling so weird and where this feeling of unease was coming from…

"Kenneth, you're scaring me. What's wrong…" Julian asked as she stopped eating. The monk stared back and after a long moment of looking into her eyes, looking at her face, her hair, at all of her… He felt this huge feeling of comfort rising in his chest. It made him smile spontaneously and the more he looked at her the less he could remember why he was confused in the first place…

His smile widened and he shrugged. "I'm sorry. I'm just not awake yet." He looked down at his eggs as he grabbed his fork. "Thank you for breakfast."

"You're welcome." Julian replied brightly. "But that's my job afterall! It's a wife's job is to cook! Or so my mother says..."

Kenneth laughed lightly as his eyes settled on the ring on his finger. "Yeah well eggs are probably the only thing you can cook anyway."

"What was that?" She said in a fake offended tone as she took a piece of egg with her fork and threw it at her spouse, who caught the piece of food with his hand.

"Hey don't play with your food. What are you, twelve?"

"Nah. More like eight."

The young monk laughed as he put the piece of egg back in her plate, trying to look exasperated but really unable to hide his smile. "Why did I marry you again?"

"Because I have a nice ass."

"Yes. Exactly. That's the only reason. And that ass is worth bearing with your childish behavior."

"It's ok I married you for your ass too. And I have to put up with your overbearing and uptight attitude. I'd say we're even."

The two lovers laughed as they ate their meal. Kenneth smiled warmly at the woman beside him as his eyes settled on her ring. He grabbed her hand gently to place a light kiss on it, caressing her hand with his thumb.

"I love you"

"I love you too." The woman replied, returning the smile.

Kenneth let go of her hand as he pushed his confused thoughts away. Why did he have this sentiment that something was off? But no matter how he looked around, looked at his wife or himself… there was nothing weird. Everything was normal, just another day. His brain was just playing tricks on him he supposed. He probably had slept too much that's all.

"So. What are those things we've got to do today anyway?" He asked as he took a bite.

"Groceries. Shopping. Lots of shopping. And I need your muscles to help me." She said as she poked him on his bicep.

"I see…" Kenneth made a small pout as his shoulders slouched. "So I'm going to carry stuff around all day basically?"

"Pretty much." Julian made a sheepish smile. "But it's not like you had anything else planned today is it?"

"I guess not." He said in a sigh. But really, he didn't mind having his day organized like this. He liked to help and if he was left to himself, he would end up sitting in the courtyard all day meditating. Having Julian dragging him everywhere and forcing him to actually do things that normal people do was nice. He liked her organization.

"Alright! Then finish your eggs and we're off to a wonderful adventure in Geffen's market!" She said enthusiastically as she got up from her chair, leaving her empty plate in the sink. Kenneth finished too and followed her. As he got up he passed in front of the kitchen's mirror and he stopped in his track. He did a double take to look back at his reflection in surprise.

He saw himself, staring back at him, as it should be…

He could have sworn his eyes were red just then…

His brain really was playing tricks on him.

* * *

><p>After a long and exhausting day of carrying packages around the market and following behind a busy Julian who jumped from stand to stand buying all kind of stuff that made Kenneth wondered if her wallet had any kind of limit (which he knew didn't, considering her father's wealth), they came back home and Kenneth let himself fall on the chair he was sleeping on this morning. He let out a deep sigh as he stretched his legs. How could shopping take so much time and be so tiring?<p>

He watched Julian move around their small house as she put her new things where they now belonged. New plates, clothes, exotic food, magic things for her wizard experiments…. Kenneth never understood her enthusiasm every time she had new stuff. They came from different world afterall. He had virtually no material possession at all, while Julian's family was one of the richest in Geffen. He often mused at God's sense of humour to have put them on each other's path and laughed at himself for falling for such a materialistic girl. But there was more to her than that of course.

He got up from his chair to help her place their new dishes in the cupboards.

"Did we really needed new dishes?" He mused out loud with a smile.

"Not really." She admitted at she shrugged. "But those are so pretty. Don't worry I won't throw the old ones away. I'll give them to someone who wants them. Maybe the shelter."

Kenneth sighed as he kissed her on the head. "Alright."

He turned back toward the table to pick up the last plate and as he walked back to the counter, he caught his reflection in the mirror again.

But this time he saw it clearly. Two red eyes stared back at him in awe and confusion. Black streams appeared under his skin and smoke was coming out of his mouth. He froze in front of his reflection and held unto the plate in his hand as if his life depended on it, his hearth quickly picking up the pace.

Julian looked back at him with a frown, walking up to him quickly. "Kenneth what's wrong?" She put her hand on his cheek gently to bring him out of his torpor. The man looked down at his hand, breathing heavily in panic.

But his hand was normal…

"Kenneth? What the hell is wrong with you?" Julian insisted with a frown. The monk glanced back at the mirror, only to see himself back to normal…

"I-I… There was... I-I was…" He searched for his words as he looked at his reflection in incomprehension. "My reflection was… I swear just now i-it… my eyes were red I-"

Julian took the plate from his hand and put herself between Kenneth and the mirror, taking his head between her hands to make him look down at her again. "Hey. Calm down now. You're not making any sense."

Kenneth's gaze focused back on her. "I saw smoke in my mouth...m-my eyes were red I-I… I don't know I-" He didn't know how to explain what he'd just seen…

The young woman sighed as she caressed his cheek. "Alright, calm down. Your eyes are not red. It's your imagination. You… you're probably just tired." She said with a smile, trying to reassure him. "It's getting late. We should go to bed. You'll see you'll feel better tomorrow. You're just not used to be in such a big city like this. It's probably all those presences you're feeling all day messing up with you mind and your perception."

Kenneth stared back at his wife for a long moment, slowly calming down. Her words sank in and he relaxed a bit. Yeah, she was probably right. He was not used to big cities. It was just his monk abilities freaking out. Making him see weird thing because of all those unfamiliar auras he was feeling around him day and night.

"Just forget about it honey." Julian continued with a bright smile. "Let's go to bed."

"Y-yeah…" He reached up for her hand, wrapping it with his own as he smiled lightly. "Yeah you're right. I'm sorry I scared you. My mind is playing tricks on me." He said with a small laugh, looking back at the mirror to see his normal self. He took a deep breath and nodded as he looked back at Julian. "I think I need to sleep."

* * *

><p>Kenneth leaned on the sink in the bathroom as he stared at himself in the mirror. No matter how much he looked, this strange vision of himself with red eyes didn't come back. He sighed deeply before splashing his face with water. This weird feeling of confusion was making him restless and slightly scared, but he was unable to understand why. It was probably why he was having hallucination… But the more he was thinking about it, the more tired he felt and the less he wanted to think about it...<p>

He removed his monk coat and belt to go join Julian in their bedroom, trying to put his thoughts away, but still doing a double take at the mirror in their room. He walked over to the bed as his wife turned toward him with a worried gaze.

"Are you feeling okay?" She said in a low tone.

"Yeah I'm fine. Don't worry. I'm sorry if I scared you with my hallucinations. I don't know what got into me. But... It's over now I'm ok." Kenneth replied with a reassuring smile as he joined her under the covers, removing his pants. She raised herself up on her elbow to look at him, her eyes still full of worry.

"No. It's me who's sorry. I shouldn't have brought you around town all day like this. It was probably really tiring. It didn't help that's for sure. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." The man said quickly with a small laugh, joining his hands behind his head. "It wasn't tiring at all. I liked my day. I enjoy being with you."

"Yes… but I know what you think of my "excessive shopping". I know you-"

"Hey. Stop that." Kenneth interrupted her, running his fingers in her long red hair. "I just like spending time with you, no matter what we do. We have different values, different ways to see things and I don't want you to conform to my lifestyle either. You wouldn't be the Julian I know anymore. I love you with your eccentricities."

Julian sighed with a small smile. "Alright…"

"I don't care what we do together. As long as we're together. I mean you don't like meditating but you do it with me sometimes anyway."

"It's not that I don't like meditating." She defended herself before poking him on the chest. "I just don't like when you spend your whole day meditating. I understand you need it but come on, it can't be good to stay immobile for so long!"

Kenneth only laughed at her comment as he bought her to him, making her rest her head on his chest. "I know I know. I'll be honest; most of the time I fall asleep…"

"Ah! I knew it…"

Kenneth smiled to himself and hugged the woman in his arm tightly, breathing in the smell of her hair and enjoying the warmth of her body on him. He sighed deeply, unable to stop smiling. It was strange but for some reason it felt like it'd been years since he had her in his arms like this. Felt her warm, fiery presence and this comforting sensation she always gave him. It felt like… he hadn't been this happy in a long time…

"I love you Kenneth." Julian whispered in his neck. "I'm glad to have you with me." She made a small pause before continuing "You'll stay with me forever, don't you?"

"Why would I ever leave your side?"

"I don't know. But know that for as long as you stay with me, I'll make you happy. I promise." Julian said as she raised herself up to look at him.

Kenneth frowned slightly at her words, not really understanding where this was coming from. But as she smiled sweetly to him he forgot his thoughts and pulled her face toward him to kiss her. She smiled and brought her hand down his chest.

"I can start to make you happy right now." She whispered with a suggestive smile, which only made him chuckle.

"You always make me happy." He said with a raised brow. "How could you possibly make me happier-"

His sentence ended abruptly as he felt her hand groping him between his legs. His body tensed and his smiled widened.

"Like this?" Julian asked with a false questioning tone.

"I thought you said I needed to sleep." He said in a low tone.

"You can sleep after."

Kenneth's laugh was cut short by her mouth closing on his, her hand making its way under his underwear. A faint groan of approval vibrated in his throat as he slid his hands under her gown, pulling it up her hips. She straightened up to grab the hem and pass it over her head, standing on her knees above him with a smile full of anticipation. As she leaned down to catch his lips again she pressed herself against his crotch, earning another groan that made her smile even more. Kenneth caught her face between his hands to keep her in place, deepening their kiss as he caressed her hair and enjoyed their proximity. Hands moved over one another gently on the rhythm of their slow kisses, making their heart beat faster and their guts catch on fire. His wife shivered above him when his hand slowly slid down her stomach to move over her underwear, his fingers brushing against her clitoris through the fabric.

Her respiration came out in shivering pants on his lips as he moved his finger against her, feeling the fabric dampening with his ministration. He moved her hair away with his other hand to kiss her neck. Every maddeningly slow movement of his finger made her hips lean into his touch. She ran her fingers in his hair as she laughed lightly.

"Sometimes I wonder if you're really a monk." she mused.

"Why? You're my wife. I'm not doing anything wrong." Kenneth replied with a rather indecent smile.

"Y-yes…" Her voice broke for a second as he pushed the garment aside to dip his finger inside her, so slowly it only made her want to push him inside her herself. Although she resisted the urge. "But for a man of God you certainly know your way around."

Kenneth made a small chuckle noise before turning them over, carefully placing her down on the bed under him. He straightened up to remove his underwear, meeting the hooded gaze of his wife that made him undress more quickly.

"Don't complain and take advantage of it." He whispered before hooking his fingers under her underwear to pull them down.

He barely pushed them past her rear, moving her legs up to let them rest on his shoulders. He saw her smile widen as he bent over her, his length brushing against her entrance.

"In a hurry are we?"

"That's your fault." He kissed her gently as he lifted her hips with his hands.

"Oh yeah? What did I d-" Her voice only formed a soft moan as he pushed himself inside her. He breathed out deeply and his shoulders tensed as he closed his eyes and let his forehead rest against hers. She grabbed his face with her hands to pull him into a kiss. His hand moved to her hair as he returned the kiss eagerly, pushing his hips against her as much as he could.

"You feel like a dream." He breathed out.

"Maybe I'm one." Julian said with a small giggle, running her fingers in his messy hair.

Kenneth looked down into her eyes, smiling from this overwhelming feeling of warmth he could feel washing over him from the bottom of his heart. "If you're a dream then I don't ever want to wake up."

Julian smiled before raising her head to meet his lips. He adjusted himself before slipping out of her slowly, his body shivering from the sensation. God it felt like he hadn't done this in years…

He pushed himself deep into her again, keeping this slow pace that made her roll he eyes in exasperation, but only made him laugh because he knew full well she liked the teasing. Their lips remained sealed together as he picked up the pace, moving his hips in wavy movement to meet her own that were trying to move but unable because of the restrained position she was in. Their breathing quickly became erratic, forcing them to break their kiss to take in more air. Kenneth bowed his head with a short sigh, his hair brushing against her collarbone. He brought his hands to her hips, both holding much too firmly unto her. He tried to kiss her skin but all he could do was let rasp puff of air leave his lips with each movement of his hips. He could feel her legs clenching on each side of his neck and hear her fast breathing in his ear, making his stomach clench. She moaned softly before removing her hands from his hair and raising them above her head to grab the bars of their bed. She held on tightly to the railing as her chest moved up and down quickly, her respiration growing louder and her body tensing.

Kenneth straightened up to look down at her. He moved faster, watching as his movement made her breast bounce deliciously. He watched her bite her lips to keep her moans to herself and stared intensely at her expression. Really he tried to look for as long as he could, loving the way her lips quivered when she opened her mouth in a silent cry and the way her eyes pleaded for more as she looked straight into his. But soon he shut his eyes and bowed his head, his hands gripping the sheets under him and a shivering sigh passing his lips as he let his forehead fall on hers again.

"Let me move…" Julian whispered breathlessly, which made Kenneth obey immediately. He leaned away from her and pushed her underwear off her legs to remove them completely, allowing her to spread her legs. She raised herself up to kiss him and he grabbed her hips to help her up. He stayed on his knees as he brought her back toward his length and hastily captured her lips again. She pressed herself against him, taking him inside her with a deep moan. Both moved their hips and ground against each other messily, panting in each others mouth as sweat ran down their bodies. Julian moved her hands over him, kissing her way down to his neck as she licked his skin. Kenneth let go of a deep sigh, his fingers digging into her thighs as he made her move against him. His heart was going crazy in his chest and his head was completely in the clouds.

But even in his light-headed state, he still caught this small glimpse of red to his right, where the mirror was. Even with the waves of pleasure washing over him and numbing his senses, his brain kicked back into gear when he saw his reflection. Two red eyes stared back at him again. Dark smoke and black veins ran all over his body, but that was not what made him panic.

It was the way the man in the mirror smiled back at him in a way he knew wasn't his…

He gasped and pushed Julian away. She still clung to him with a small moan of protest as she followed his gaze in confusion.

"Can you see it?" He rasped in panic, seeing as his lips didn't move in the mirror. "I'm not crazy now I'm really seeing this it's not my imaginat-"

He was cut short by Julian's hands catching his head to force him away from the mirror, locking her lips with his in a long kiss before pulling away.

"Forget about it." she whispered before trying to kiss him once more, but her words only made Kenneth frown.

"W-what are you talking about? Can't you see it?" He tried to turn his head toward the mirror again but she blocked his sight with her hand, making him face her.

"Focus on me Kenneth." she said as she looked into his eyes. "Stop thinking about anything but me. Stay with me. It's all going to be fine."

She kept grinding her hips on him as she pushed him down, almost making him fall and forcing him to sit back on his rear. He tried to glance back at the mirror but she was doing everything to prevent him. She put her hands on both side of his face, her eyes full of desire and love.

"Are you happy with me?"

Kenneth didn't acknowledge the question and tried again to look away, but she held his head firmly in place, repeating the question.

"Do I make you happy Kenneth?"

The monk looked up into her eyes, his mind not understanding what was going on. But as he gazed into her marine eyes he calmed down. The way she looked at him made this feeling of warmth and happiness rise in his chest again…

"Yes…" He whispered. "You do…"

"Then focus on me." she said with a smile. "Forget the rest and stay with me… I love you" Her lips closed on his gently, kissing him in a way he found soothing. Her hands caressed his hair reassuringly and slowly his heart slowed down, along with his breathing.

They kissed for a long moment. Slowly and tenderly, as if they had just started making love. It made the heat rise in his guts again. He moved his hands back to her hips hesitantly and she started to move again, making him moan faintly.

His head felt heavy and his mind confused. He looked at the mirror one last time, only to see his normal reflection…

Julian pushed on his chest to make him lay down on the bed, smiling gently at him as she moaned softly above him with each smooth movement of her hips. Kenneth slowly surrendered to the pleasure again, gripping her hips and thrusting in her. Slowly his mind went numb, forgetting about everything strange going on and only able to focus on the beautiful woman on top of him.

"Focus on me Honey. Forget about everything but me." She repeated in a voice filled with lust that made all the muscle in his body clench at the promise of pleasure coming his way. But before he could surrender to it, another voice came from behind.

"Don't."

Julian stopped moving abruptly and she looked up in surprise. Kenneth tried to look behind him but before he could move he saw another woman enter his line of sight above him. She knelt behind his head and look down at him, her dark eyes piercing into his soul and her purple hair falling down in a ponytail…

"Your mind is trying to hide behind walls of good memories… to flee the horrors of what you've gone through." The woman said with a grave expression. "But your subconscious is scratching the walls. You know this is not real. You know you can't stay here. If you stay, you condemn those you love... those who still live."

He narrowed his eyes at her in confusion, his body freezing in place. The whole strangeness of the situation didn't even reach his mind. He didn't see how his bedroom disappeared, how the air shifted, how nothing around him made sense anymore. He simply laid there… with a woman sitting on him and another one staring down at him. The only thing that came to his mind as he looked into those dark eyes above him was "...Who are you?"

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><p>Yay back with Kenneth :) Thank you very much for still reading. I hope it's still to your liking. And yeah some smut. I know it was not necessary but I wanted to indulge XD Also yeah... dreams again. I love writing dreams. I think you've realized that by now XD<p> 


	45. 5:A new determination

Hello again. Thanks for still being there :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 45 A new determination<strong>

Pale blue eyes stared into dark ones for what seemed like an eternity. Kenneth found himself mesmerized, unable to look away. He could barely feel his body, barely feel the soft skin of the beautiful woman sitting on his hips. He didn't dare move, fearing what could happen if he did. And no matter how he looked at the purple haired woman, no matter how familiar she felt… he wasn't able to recognize her...

She gently placed a hand on his cheek as she spoke. "You know who I am sensei. You're trying to forget; my existence threatening to remind you of the pain… but this pain is yours and you can't flee from it."

Kenneth's eyes widened as her words sank in, his heart skipping a beat. "Verica…"

Blurry images of fire and blood flashed before his eyes and screams of terror filled his head. His whole body felt numb for a second before a horrible burning sensation spread in his chest. He groaned in pain and looked down to see the black streams running under his skin. His hands shook as he brought them up in front of him. Smoke was coming out of them and he screamed in agony, his whole body feeling like it was being burned.

He felt another hand move across his cheek; cold and soothing. As he looked up his gaze met Julian's, who stared down at him with a gentle smile.

"You don't deserve all this suffering." She whispered, brushing her thumb against his skin. "Stay here with me… and we can have this happiness that was ripped away from us too soon."

"I know you would want to." The other girl retorted, making him look back at her. "But it's not time for you to rest yet; you can't have your peace yet. You have a long and difficult path ahead of you. You will suffer. You will struggle until the end. But this is the price to pay to find peace when you're done. This is how it must be." She moved closer to him to press her lips against his forehead as she whispered. "It is God's will. You can't escape from it. If you do…" She leaned away to look into his eyes. "The world you know will perish."

The memories came rushing back to Kenneth's head as Verica spoke. His first meeting with her, the demons possessions, the prophecy, the stalker, their final battle. It all flooded his mind in an instant, making him dizzy. Images of the sealed shrine and Mathias talking to him were the more vivid. He could hear his sensei's voice, clear but so far away. "You're stronger than that", "don't stop fighting", "I taught you better than that you damn brat", "You can't die here". He could hear his own breathing, his own cracked voice pleading for death. The horrible suffering he felt back then was resurfacing as tears formed behind his eyes. His throat felt dry, his lungs on fire. The memories of Baphomet inside him was too much to bear and brought him mental and physical pain as well, threatening to break his mind all together and he squeezed his eyes shut in fear. He tried to block it out, to forget it, but Verica didn't let him.

"The choice is yours sensei. You can stay in this illusion if you want. Forget the pain and the problems of the real world. Forget about me. You can die here if you want." She said, her face barely an inch away from his. "I can't force you to come back. You're the one to decide whether you will wake up or not. You've already been in those memories for a long time. If you choose to stay longer, you accept the consequences."

Kenneth opened his eyes with difficulty, looking back into Verica's eyes. Tears fell down his temples, the pain he was experiencing too great for him to contain it. He stared at his student's face intensly, trying to think through all those incomprehensible images of death rushing to his head.

His memories and the morbid visions soon intertwined, showing him images of a mutilated girl in chains, her purple hair clinging to her face because of all the blood. He saw an old bald man burning, monks being tortured and innocent people dying without any kind of hope to survive in a world turned into a wasteland where demons had risen from hell. The emotional trauma of those visions made him cry even more, his whole body tensing.

Those images scared him to death. They made him feel vulnerable and powerless, not knowing if they were true. Was the world already like this? How long had he been dreaming? If he stayed here… was he condemning all those people?

He looked back at Julian through his tears. He wanted to stay with her. No matter if all this was an illusion. He could forget about that. He could make himself believe it was true again. To stay in an imaginary Geffen with the love of his life was better then going back. He could take back his happiness and screw the rest. He never asked for any of this. Why should he suffer like this? Why him?

His eyes drifted back to Verica, who stared back at him with a blank expression...

Would his suffering prevent hers?

He loved Julian. Always have. He dreamt of having her back countless times. But it had been so long. He managed to move on, a least a little. He was living his life, without her, like she would have wanted. If she was here now, really here, she would be disgusted by him just considering to stay in this illusions. She who always sought the truth of everything… She would kick his ass back into reality with a fireball…

He had people counting on him. The world maybe, if the prophecy was true. People closed to him that he cared about deeply. If he stayed here those people would no longer matter to him. If he stayed, he would forget about Verica. She would never exist in his memories. He had spent so many years with her, she was as much a part of his family as Julian had been. As much as Mathias. He had so much trouble imagining his life without Verica when she left… and now he was considering erasing her from his memories all together? He couldn't do that…

He didn't want the world to end because of his selfishness. What kind of monk would that make of him?

He didn't want the people he loved to suffer because of him. If he went back and did as he was told… if he did what God expected him to do… he would have a chance to prevent this suffering. For everyone and the people he cared for. No matter the cost, if he could do something like this with his life...If he went back… if it could allow Verica to have a happy life...

He would stay in hell to suffer all eternity if it could ensure her a bright future. That he had no doubts about…

This certainty alone was enough to make him want to go back...

Kenneth coughed, only aggravating the sensation of burnt in his throat. He looked back at his wife, immobile on top of him. He choke on a sob as he spoke, his whole body aching and burning from the inside. "I-I… I'm sorry. I-I can't… I want t-to stay… b-but I.."

Julian smiled back at him, her eyes full of compassion. "Don't apologize." Kenneth sighed shakily, closing his eyes. Just her voice was making the pain go away...

"For as long as I've known you you wanted to right your wrongs. To find forgiveness for your sins and be a better person than what your younger self had been." She continued. "You've always struggled to do what was right as much as you could, and I loved you for it. I see no reason for you to stop now." She bent down slowly, taking his face between her hands carefully before pressing her lips on his in what felt like the most comforting and soothing kiss he had ever experienced in his life. Her presence invaded his sense and the pain disappeared for as long as she kissed him. She pulled away slowly, giving him one last light kiss before straightening up completely with a smile and leaving him to his agony once again.

"People's lives depend on you. You cannot abandon them and I know you won't…. I'm proud of you."

When Kenneth opened his eyes she was not there anymore. The world around him seemed to be made of flesh, red and dark, unrecognizable. He bit back his tears as best as he could as the dark veins on his body were spreading and the smoke getting thicker.

"H-how...how do I g-go back…" He managed to rasp, looking back at Verica. The younger woman took his face between her hands, as Julian had done.

"Get out of your walls. Stop blocking the images. Surrender to the pain, to the memories. You will have to accept it. You'll have to live with this trauma for the rest of your life. If you can't, you will wake up a soulless shell. But this pain is yours and you have to endure, for all our sake."

"I-It's alright…" Kenneth's heart shrank in his chest as Verica's expression changed all of a sudden; a sad frown on her face. He brought his hand up and caught the back of her head firmly as he tried to smile. "Don't worry. I'm not... letting you down. W-when you come b-back... to the Abbey, I'll… I-I'll be there to welcome you."

Verica seemed surprised by his words, but then she smiled and bent down to place a small kiss on his lips. "Thank you."

The soft hair between his fingers disappeared along with her lips. When he opened his eyes he met only the strange environment around him, finding himself alone. The panic rose in his chest as the burning sensation intensified. Nothing around him made sense anymore, but even if it did, he didn't have the presence of mind to understand what was going on. Up and down didn't mean anything anymore, his body moving as the changing gravity told him to. He found himself on his knees, his hands hugging his head tightly and his eyes squeezed shut. His heart was beating so fast, his lungs burning, his head pounding. He was unable to formulate a thought as the only thing his brain could do was to make him scream. The laugh of Baphomet was resonating in his head. The memories of the Great Demon was assaulting his mind, showing him things no human was ever supposed to see. It was maddening and made him regret; made him want to go back to the illusion. But it was too late for that.

An invisible force pulled him up, making his back collide with something soft but disgusting. He felt the skin of his back melting on contact…

The ground opened up under him but he didn't fall. As he felt himself being absorb into the strange wall behind him, he opened his eyes with difficulty only to see Julian smiling at him in the distance. She simply stood there and looked as his body sank into the strange goo. It was easy to say "yes, I'll do it". Now all he wanted was to go back to bed with her. He struggled against the burning substance trying to swallow him, but the more he moved the more his skin melted and the more it hurt. He had never experienced such pain before, so intense it was impossible to think, impossible to ignore it. It shook him to the bones, even to his soul if that was even possible.

But that's what was expected from him. There was too much at stakes. He had been able to expel the demon from his body by himself, by sheer will alone. No fucking way this was all for nothing. If he was supposed to endure, then he would…

A shaking breath left his lips as he stopped moving, letting himself being pulled into the goo. Letting the burning sensation rip through all his senses as he cried out in pain. Every muscle in his body contracted, so much he was shaking as if he was cold. He clenched his teeth, squeezed his eyes shut and wailed, accepting his fate and determined to get out of this hell...

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><p>The dumbfounded silence that pervaded the infirmary seemed to last forever as they all stared down at the man on the bed. None dared move, until Mathias spoke.<p>

"...Kenneth?"

The younger man looked at him. When Mathias saw that Kenneth was able to hear him and focus on him, he got out of his torpor. He reached for the other man's face as a big sigh of relief left his lips.

"Holy fucking shit boy…" He tried to say something intelligent but all his brain was able to come up with was "shit, fuck, fuck, oh god, shit" as he touched his face incredulously. He couldn't believe it was real. His lips moved into a dumb smile as he bit back his tears of joy.

Kenneth simply stared at him in silence and with his eyes wide. He was feeling disoriented, his whole body sore and weak. But still, it felt like paradise compared to where he had just been…

What the hell had just happened? Had this been a dream? It didn't feel like a dream. It was like he had just come back from another dimension. He had trouble believing he really was back into reality now. He looked around the room incredulously, almost feeling like crying in joy at how fresh the air was, how stable the ground was, how painless his muscles were. A lone tear fell from his eye to stream down his temple. He couldn't even tell why. Just that there were a lot more where that tear had come from, but he did his best to keep them at bay.

He tried to speak, but his throat was on fire and only a rough cough came out. It was probably best. He had no idea what to say anyway. Instead he tried to straighten up slowly on shaking arms. His movement immediately made Mathias move to help him and the two other women seemed to wake up as well as they stood with their hands close to him, unsure of what to do. Mathias kept his hand on his back as he looked at him, almost afraid he would faint again if he let go

"Easy now don't move too fast."

"How is that possible…" Touha whispered, but quickly bit back her words. Nothing should surprise her anymore with him…

"W-Wh…" Kenneth brought his hand to his throat, coughing again. Mathias looked at Touha quickly, the panic still in his voice.

"Get him something to drink!"

Touha turned around quickly to get a jug or water with a glass. She poured the liquid in the glass and handed it to Kenneth. The younger man took it to his lips hastily and clumsily, downing it almost in one go and choking on it. The more he drank the more he felt thirsty. As he kept coughing Touha took the glass to fill it again, but Kenneth grabbed the jug from her hands and started drinking directly from it, drinking as if he hadn't had water in months. He drank much too quickly, the water falling on each side of his face as he tried to drink as much as possible.

"Don't drink so fast…" Touha whispered, but really unsure of what to do or say. This boy had just recovered from being possessed by a great demon. Maybe he did need to drink that much…"

Kenneth lowered the jug with one last cough before bowing his head. He was breathing heavily and his hands were shaking. He stared intensely at his laps as Touha took the jug away hesitantly. Even with all this water his throat still felt so rough. His whole chest felt like it'd been rubbed against sandpaper from the inside.

His gaze settled on his hand that was shaking slightly. He tried to make it stop but he had no control over it and had to use his other hand to steady it. As he stayed there immobile and looking into space, completely ignoring the three people beside him, his brain tried desperately to make sense of what had happened.

He remembered everything. All his dream, from the time with Julian to the conversation with Verica. He didn't know if it was just a dream or if it actually meant something. Was what Verica had said true? Well some of it was. He had no trouble believing that his mind had trapped himself inside the memories of his time with Julian to escape reality. But even buried deep in the illusion, his subconscious scratched the walls and refused to leave him in this dream. If he had stayed there… would the world really have perished? What did she mean by "This is God's will"? None of what she said made sense to him anymore… but back then it did.

She said he would suffer. That he couldn't rest yet, that he couldn't escape from it. She said his pain was the price to pay to find peace one he was done…. But done with what?

He didn't like putting so much fate into the words of a dreamy incarnation of his student, but he had learned by now that his dreams were often more than just that. And to discard the one he had after being… possessed like this would be foolish. It had to mean something. Who knows… maybe God himself had just spoken to him through this?

No matter what it had been, his brain was giving big red alerts to tell him something dangerous was coming. It was an unnerving feeling, stirring in his guts. Honestly, he hadn't felt like giving too much thoughts into the prophecy before; believing in it more because he had no other choice than because he really wanted to believe. But now this horrible feeling that something horrible was about to happen was quickly changing his mind. It was so overwhelming. Maybe it was the demon's influence, but every fiber of his body was shaking in anxiety right now, and he hated it.

One thing was sure. He had just survived an experience none before him had. He went through all this, took enormous risks and came back alive. He refused to come back empty handed. No matter if what would come out of it was good or bad, he hadn't made it this far just to ignore all this information and go back to doing nothing. Now he could see, now he felt it. There was no time to waste if they wanted to fulfill the prophecy and save the world from an imminent doom.

He had no idea how yet. But he was going to get on that right about now. Enough standing around, enough waiting. If he really was this chosen one the prophecy mentioned, then he was about to take that title and the duties that came with it much more seriously from now on.

A hand on his shoulder took him out of his thoughts.

"Kenneth? Are you… are you with us boy? Say something…" Mathias said in a low tone, bowing his head to look at him in the eyes. The two men's gaze met and Mathias felt an unpleasant shiver run along his spine. For a fraction of a second he saw a dark shadow buried deep into the younger man's eyes. As if Baphomet's spirit had left a small parcel of himself inside the champion. Maybe he had. It would be foolish to think Kenneth had come back completely clean after being mentally raped by the one of the biggest demon out there…

Kenneth stared at his teacher in silence, his left hand still shaking a little. He had so much things he wanted to say at the same time it was all a big mess of thoughts in his head. For a moment, it seemed to Mathias that the boy simply wasn't recognizing him. But after Kenneth looked one last time around him, he nodded slowly.

"Yeah. I'm ok."

"Don't just say 'I'm ok'." Touha said almost angrily. "I-I mean… a-are you really ok? How do you feel? This is… how… what happened?"

"I'm fine." He replied simply, looking at the older woman. "I just… it's complicated. Let's just say that…" He searched for the right words for a few seconds. He'd be unable to explain everything. "Let's just say it's over now. I'm fine, really. More fear than harm."

"More fear than harm?" Mathias repeated with a frown, starting to get angry as well at the younger man's attitude. "Are you fucking kidding boy? You were possessed by Baphomet!" He exclaimed with a small pause to emphasize how grave the situation was. "You were unconscious for… God knows how long, I lost track of time! We didn't think you'd wake up or if you did, that you would be losing your marbles." He made a small hand gesture beside his head. "And you just wake up like this with a tear, a drink and no, I'm ok, I'm fine, it's over now. Really? How did you survive? How did you exorcise yourself?"

Kenneth remained unmoved by the other man's small outburst. He simply sighed and shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you Mathias. I don't understand it more than you do. I just… I saw things, felt things. I'm still feeling things now and…." He looked at Carly and he froze a moment.

"You're feeling things? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

He didn't reply right away. He kept staring at Carly before he spoke again. "You know what I'm talking about. Don't you, Carly? You can feel it too. This horrible feeling that something is about to go wrong. You can feel it too right?"

The blonde moved back a little, but after meeting the other man's gaze, she nodded slowly. He saw her body tense, almost seeing the anxiety covering her all of a sudden.

"Yeah… I know. It's so unnerving. You just don't know where it's coming from. It seems so irrational. It's just this big feeling in your guts that… something bad will happen. I… I've had this feeling ever since that succubus possessed me."

Mathias listened to the woman in stunned silence, before looking back at Kenneth. "Moohae told me about something like this too. But.. what does it mean?"

"I have no idea." Kenneth said as he removed the sheets from his lap.

"And that doesn't tell us how you managed... This!" Touha commented as she pointed him. "How did you do this? You should be dead!"

Kenneth sighed and sat on the edge of the bed slowly, leaning on his knees and rubbing his face with his hands. "I have no explanation to give you, I'm sorry. I just know I did it, that's all. All I hope is that it will be useful somehow and that all this was not for nothing in the end." He sighed again before straightening up, looking a Mathias with a grave expression. "You reproached me of not taking the prophecy seriously enough in the past, sensei. Well... I can assure you that's about to change…"

His teacher moved back a little, taken aback by his sudden serious tone and the look of determination on his face. He wasn't sure he liked it, but first thing first…

He put his hand on his shoulder and lowered himself to be at eye level with Kenneth, staring intensely into his eyes. He had trouble believing he had come back from all this unharmed. But no matter how he searched those pale blue eyes for a sign of demon, there was nothing…

"You're scared I'm still possessed?" Kenneth asked. He could understand it really. Mathias moved away with a sigh, staring at his student with a worried frown.

"Well, I find it hard to believe you made it out alive AND sane so easily…"

"Easily?" That made Kenneth laugh as he bowed his head, running a shaking hand through his hair. "Oh no. Believe me it wasn't 'easy'..." He looked back at Mathias as he continued in a lower tone. "There was just too much at stakes to afford breaking down now."

His words made Mathias frowned, but he didn't insist. Really, at first he'd been so happy to see him awake, but now he was just dying to do one thing…

"So you really are fine then? You feel ok, you're sure?" He asked one last time.

"Yes. I promise. I feel a bit weak and hungry, but other than that I'm fine. Believe me, I'm just glad this is all over." Kenneth replied with a sigh. That was kind of a lie, he felt like shit really. His hand wouldn't stop shaking and he was emotionally exhausted. Honestly if he was alone right now he would probably break down in tears...

"Alright." Mathias nodded as he passed his hand over his mouth. "Then I'll feel less bad for doing this."

His hand flew toward Kenneth's face, slapping him on the cheek with such force his ear went deaf for a moment. His head snapped to the side in a fraction of a second, leaving him stunned with his mouth open and a horrible pain spreading in his face. Carly gasped and brought her hands in front of her mouth and Touha jumped in surprise as well. Mathias flexed his fingers as he grabbed Kenneth's jaw with his other hand, forcing his student to look at him.

"That's for making the most dangerously dumb move I've ever seen in my entire fucking life. And I'm being generous, this is probably the dumbest shit ANYONE has ever pulled since FOREVER!" He practically yelled in his face as Kenneth simply remained perfectly immobile with wide eyes. Mathias let go of his face angrily, but the younger man's gaze remained glued to his sensei's. "Let's walk into a great demon's prison. What could go wrong? You were the first to tell us going down there was dangerous and we REPEATED that as long as we stayed out of the seal we had nothing to fear. And you… you just walk right in because that goat dickhead rubbed your ego the wrong way. I swear boy for all your great virtues you also have one of the biggest pride I've ever seen on a motherfucking monk! Don't you value your life more than that, boy? Or are you just plainly growing more stupid as you're getting older?!""

The two women stood awkwardly as the old champion yelled at his student in anger. What was most troubling was how Kenneth stayed perfectly still under Mathias' gaze. He looked like he was 13 at that moment, being scolded by his teacher for doing something wrong. That's what it still was in a sense. It was so strange to see how much authority Mathias had on him, no matter if they were equals now. He didn't even get angry for the slap. He just sat there in fear and taking the blows his old teacher had to give him. Maybe he felt like he deserved those blows…

Mathias let go of a long shaky sigh, rubbing his face with his hands in exasperation. Kenneth simply looked down, bowing his head in shame. This grave expression he had earlier and determination vanished in an instant. That slap had just brought him back completely to reality and made him remember just what he had done…

"I'll go tell Yolene that you're awake." Mathias said in a low tone as he took a deep breathe to calm himself. "You should stay here and rest. Or go to the sanctuary. Whatever you do just stay with someone in case something happen." He looked back at Carly briefly. "Carly, I want you to stay with him as much as possible. We don't know what can happen now. We literally have NO idea. He could go apeshit-demonic-rampage for all we know. So you keep an eye on him, understood?"

"Y-yes. Of course."

"Alright." He looked at Kenneth one last time before leaving the infirmary, but the champion didn't look back. He kept his head bowed, staring at the floor. Great… now he felt bad. Well not that the boy didn't deserve that slap. What he had done WAS dangerous...although he wouldn't have done it if HE hadn't put him in the situation in the first place. They both were to blame for what happened, but he really didn't feel like apologizing now. It was not the time for that. Now was the time to face consequences…

And as he made his way toward Yolene's room, he swallowed hard thinking that now that Kenneth was awake… he would have to face his.

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><p>Thank you for reading and I hope to give you a new chapter as soon as possible.<p> 


	46. 5:The aftermath

Been a while again. I started working at this really neat sushi restaurant so yay money but oh, not so much time to write. Thank you for still being there, it still impress me that people are still bothering to read after 46 goddamn chapters XD But I guess you were warned before that you're in for a **VERY LONG** fic.

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><p><strong>Chapter 46 The aftermath<strong>

The sound of Mathias' footstep in the halls of the Abbey seemed to resonate more than they should in his head. The silence around him felt intimidating and the light of the candles only added to the eerie atmosphere. When he finally stopped in front of Yolene's room, he stood there immobile for a long moment trying to prepare mentally for the head master's words of justice that would no doubt fall on him. If he was lucky it wouldn't be now, but in the end it didn't matter when his sentence would come…

He knocked on the door, loud enough to try to wake the woman inside, if she was sleeping at all. He heard the sheets of the bed move before footsteps reached the door and he found himself holding his breath when the doorknob turned.

"Mathias?" Yolene's voice came in a soft whisper. Surprised, but not that much. Maybe she was just not surprised by anything anymore nowadays, not even a Mathias coming to her room in the middle of the night. Once upon a time, it would have been normal. Now she knew it was sign of bad news, or at least very important ones. She didn't even say anything else, didn't ask what was wrong. She simply stared at him with sleepy eyes, waiting for an explanation. Mathias tried to smile warmly at her like he usually do, but he was unable to and so he went straight to business.

"Kenneth woke up." He said simply, as matter-of-factly as he would have said that the sun would rise in the morning. But those three words put together made Yolene's eyes grow wide.

"What?" she opened the door completely to get out of her room, closing it behind her. "When?"

"Just now."

"And…" She feared to ask her next question. "Is he…"

"He seems to be himself ." Mathias replied before she could finish her sentence. "And I insist on the 'seems'. I have no way to be sure really. But he spoke clearly, acted… somewhat normally considering his situation." He took a step away to invite her to follow him. "You should come see him." He hoped her attention would turn toward Kenneth before turning on him…

Yolene nodded as she followed him, tightening her robe. "I can't believe it… he really woke up. I never would have thought… This is completely unprecedented if he really is back to normal. I find it hard to believe honestly… did you leave him alone?"

"Of course not. Carly is with him."

"You left two possessed person alone together? You're sure that's wise?"

"I… didn't think about it that way." He admitted. But Carly had been so normal since she woke up he doubted there was any problems with her now...

"Let's worry about one thing at a time." Yolene sighed. "For now we need to make sure Kenneth is not a threat and that he really is fine. The rest can wait."

Mathias nodded, sighing slightly in relief. His trials would wait too apparently.

"But now that he's awake, you know what it means. I postponed your judgment to let you watch over him; something Vran and Touha didn't agree with. But now you won't escape it. They want the hole for you, like Joey. And I'll have to-"

"Let's worry about one thing at a time right?" He interrupted her with a small smile, doing his best to stay calm despite his worries and the fear the simple word 'hole' brought in his chest. "Let's keep this conversation for after you see Kenneth will you?" Yolene bit back her words and nodded.

"Fine."

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><p>Kenneth could still feel his sensei's hand on his face. It had been years since he had felt so ashamed. That slap had woken him up for good, back to reality completely now. The memories of his subconscious journey were feeling less and less real as the minutes went by. Only the memories of what happened in the sealed shrine flooded his mind, making him feel like a complete idiot for what he had done. He had walked right into the trap, head first, because of his damn pride and that stupid prophecy saying that the right path would seem like the wrong. Obviously they were not talking about this situation. But beyond that, he was mainly angry at himself and his god forsaken ego…<p>

He couldn't remember what happened while Baphomet was inside him and he hated it. What if he had done something really bad? What happened to Tomoon and Joey? Did he hurt them? He couldn't remember and honestly it was as if his mind was keeping him from trying to remember. And as he tried, it occurred to him that maybe he did hurt them all. Probably actually. Mathias included….

He didn't even think about that when he woke up. He didn't even apologize, for his stupid decision and what he might have done. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts about his strange dream… he forgot everything else.

As he turned his head toward Carly, he realized he had forgotten something else too.

"Since when are you awake?" He asked to the blonde. He talked to her and acted as if it was normal for her to be there, completely forgetting what she had gone through before all this…

"Shortly after what happened to you…" She replied shyly. She was feeling so awkward, seeing how Touha was staring at Kenneth almost in fear. It was understandable she supposed.

"How are you feeling?" He was hesitant, feeling so bad for not asking her that firsthand when he saw her.

"I'm fine Kenneth. Don't worry about me. I had time to recover. You should worry about yourself right now." She said as she came to sit beside him.

"Sorry… I'm sorry I didn't even-"

"Don't apologize to me please. For anything." She interrupted him . "I remember what I did to you while I was possessed Kenneth. I remember your blood on my hands…. please don't apologize…"

Kenneth sighed as he looked at her, shaking his head. "You were not yourself. You're a victim more than me in this. None of what happened was your fault. And I'm sorry for not seeing something was wrong when… well, from the start." he finished, thinking back to her sexual assault on him. Really he should have known from that moment on something wasn't right…

"You couldn't have known…"

They both sat beside each other in an awkward silence. Carly wanted to talk to him more, know about what happened, be sure that he was fine... but Touha's gaze on her back was making her so uncomfortable. She turned around hesitantly, meeting the older woman's gaze and asking her silently if she could leave them alone for a moment. Touha frowned, but Carly's soft and pleading eyes won her over.

"I'll go tell Tomoon that you're awake." She said as she walked toward the door. "I'm sure he'll want to know."

"Is he okay? What about Joey?" Kenneth asked quickly before she could leave.

"Don't worry, they are both fine… physically at least." She said before closing the door behind her, leaving the two champions behind who were still wrapped in their awkward silence. Kenneth wanted to know what she meant by that, but she was gone before he could ask. After a long moment he turned toward Carly and spoke with a small nervous laugh.

"I wish we would have met again under better circumstances. You know, so you could tell me about your travel and everything."

"There will be time for that in the future I'm sure." She replied with a smile. "Let's just be grateful that there's still a future for the both of us."

Kenneth laughed lightly, his smile widening as he looked back at Carly. "Now I recognize you." He paused a moment, staring at her and unable to stop smiling. "I'm glad to have you back. The real you."

"I'm glad to be myself again too, believe me." she replied, smiling back to him. "And I'm glad I didn't kill you… or anything else. This reunion would be very awkward if you hadn't pushed me away."

Kenneth choked on a breath, laughing to hide his embarrassment. "O-ooh, I see. So… you really do remember everything."

"I do." Her blush showed him that she was as embarrassed as he was. "I'm sorry. It must have been...unpleasant."

"Unpleasant isn't really the right word…" He regretted that comment immediately. "I-I mean...I didn't-"

"It's… probably best if we just stop talking about what happened. "Carly said quickly with a nervous laugh. "It makes you as uncomfortable as me I'm sure. I-I really don't want either of us to remember this so...let's just forget it ever happened will you?"

"Y-yeah, of course." Kenneth cleared his throat, looking around the room for his coat. It wasn't there unfortunately, so he was left only in his pants. He hated not having his coat. He hated the champion suit in general honestly. Why were monks so adamant about showing off their chest?

"I hum… there's something I need to talk about with you. I-It's nothing important and maybe this is not the best time but I just really want to make things clear between us. Especially after what happened." Carly said as she turned to face her friend.

"O-okay…"

"About what I said… about how I left 8 years ago…" She said hesitantly, obviously not liking to remember it. "I had bad reasons to leave, I realize that today. Very bad reasons. The reason being you essentially. I really liked you… but let's not go over this again. We've been through this countless times in the past, the results were never pleasant." She said with a nervous laugh. "I cared about you in a way that was too different from how you felt..."

"But I did care. And I still care..." He replied in a low tone, his stomach tightening unpleasantly with nervosity as he wondered where she was going with this. "I just don't-"

"You've always made that clear. You always said that you cared… and I hated it back then. But after all those years on the road, meeting new people and seeing how real life is, with all the hardships... I can say that it really changed my perception of things." She continued, not letting him finish. "There was a long period of time where, honestly, I didn't even think about you. I was with other people I cared for who were very important and… well, one person in particular I met was… especially important…"

Now that took Kenneth by surprise. "O-oh. Y-you mean you… met someone? As in..."

"You sound surprised." She said, laughing lightly again to hide her nervousness. "I'd be lying if I said I was expecting it to happen. It took me by surprise too. His name was Leo... He was a hunter and I traveled with him for a long time. I'd never flirted before in my life it was so awkward..." She continued as she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. The way she talked about it with such excitement made Kenneth smile. "We were five in the group. We reached Juno together and… well, once we both became champion and sniper we decided to part ways."

"You parted ways? Why? Didn't you love him?" He asked, confused at where the story was going.

"I thought I did. I hum…" She blushed as she paused a few seconds, clearing her throat. "I-I did something I wasn't supposed to… I've been a bad catholic, if you see what I mean..."

"Oh…" Kenneth looked away quickly. "You and him…"

"Yeah…" She laughed out of embarrassment. "I-I really thought I loved him. I know he liked me too. And I've been in so many life or death situation. When it happened, at that moment, it… it all seemed so unimportant you know? Who cares if I have sex without being married. I could die tomorrow. So it just… happened." She explained truthfully. "Now that I think about it I do regret… giving in to the temptation. It feels like I betrayed what I believe in, betrayed God...but I've asked for forgiveness, with sincerity. We learn from our mistakes after all. The experience helped me mature and realize a lot of things about myself." She said with a small shrug, as if none of this was important while on the contrary, Kenneth felt it was extremely meaningful.

"But afterward, I realized that my feelings were not as deep as I thought they were." She continued. "Once it was done, the feeling in my chest was gone. It was as if I was just curious and that once my curiosity was satisfied… I lost interest."

Kenneth didn't know what to reply. Her words surprised him. The whole story surprised him really. But he waited for the rest and remained silent, letting her finish.

"When we parted, he was scared I would be very sad, even demolished or angry. But truth is that I didn't care that much. As much as I cared about him, the prospect of never seeing him again was not saddening me. It was a nice trip, we lived good things together and I have only fond memories of him. But my life would continue without him as I kept those memories and cherish them. And that's when I thought about you… that I really thought about you for the first time in months really. And I asked myself: if I was to never see you again, how would I react? I wasn't able to reply to that question for sure… but I thought that it might be similar to this. Loving someone is not always about having that person for you. I care about you and cherish your friendship, but my life is my own and yours is yours. I don't live for someone else. The same way, I cannot ask you to live for me."

"I'm not sure to understand where you're going with all this Carly…." Kenneth replied sheepishly, which made Carly's smile widen.

"Sorry... I'm rambling. What I mean to say is that… I still care about you a lot. And my time away from you really was beneficial to make me realize that my love for you is not what defines me and that it can change. It did change. I'll always care about you… but I'm no longer burdened by this affection. I want to stay your friend without you worrying about my feelings. I don't want you to think that being with you still hurt me. It doesn't. Because life is too short and difficult to let something as wonderful as love become a painful weight on your shoulders."

The man beside her simply stared at her, immobile, not knowing what to say. After a few seconds he blinked and nodded slowly. "Wow. Hum, alright. I hum… I'll be honest with you; I'm not sure I understand everything." he felt like such an idiot whenever he talked with Carly. That girl was more spiritual than any other monk and had such a way with words, it often made him feel kind of stupid. But the comment only made her giggle.

"I'm sorry I'm blabbering really. All that to say that… well, I'm over you." she concluded with a smile. Kenneth snorted in response.

"Your way of saying it sure is more poetic." He admitted with a small laugh. "Well, you seem happy. Happier than when you left at least."

"I am."

"Good." He nodded as he threw his arm over her shoulders to press her against his side. "It's all that matters to me. You're a great woman and you deserve happiness. I'm glad I can be part of that happiness in a way we're both comfortable with."

"Thank you." Carly wrapped her arms around him, leaning on him for a short embrace that, much to Kenneth's relief, didn't felt awkward or inappropriate. It was back to normal, back to how it was 10 years ago. It felt good and safe, making him forget for a moment all the things that went wrong in the past years. Things were so much simpler before. He'd never realized it back then, often complaining about nothing and everything. Now he'd give anything to go back to those simpler times, with no prophecy bullshit and people in danger because of him…

The two friends pulled away and Carly noticed the worried frown on his face.

"We have more important things to talk about now than our feelings and love stories though. It's just the two of us here so tell me, honestly… how do you feel?" She asked gently.

"I don't know." He rubbed his face tiredly as he spoke. "I just… I'm a bit lost right now. When I woke up everything was so clear in my head. It was like I knew what I had to do. About everything. Now it's getting all fuzzy again and I can't concentrate on anything. It's as if I'd just had a big rush of adrenaline keeping me on such a high and now it's all leaving my body too quickly and it's exhausting."

"That's probably what's happening Kenneth. Let's get you to the sanctuary so you can rest in your bed."

"I don't have time to rest…" He whispered as he looked back at her. "I saw things… and you too. All those years I denied the evidences. I tried to convince myself that all this was just nonsense. But now I can't deny it anymore. And I'm so angry at myself for not doing something about all this sooner. I don't want to rest. I want to understand what it all means and prevent what I saw from happening…"

"Alright alright, calm down now. It won't help to get worked up over this. It waited this long, it can still wait. You need to rest, you look exhausted. Even your hand is shaking…" Carly replied with a worried frown, looking down at his hands. He followed her gaze and grabbed his wrist with his other hand to make it stop shaking.

"It's nothing. It's just the fatigue."

"We don't know what kind of effect all this had on you." She started, wanting to say this since the start but scared of his reaction. "You didn't see Touha's gaze on you, she seemed terrified. It's a miracle you came out of this alive. You… you've gotta have some kind of aftereffects."

"Maybe I do." He replied as he stared at his hand. "But I don't think sleeping will help me in any way. I don't think anyone can help me right now, so I might as well do something useful…" Truth was he did wanted to sleep and more importantly leave this place. He could feel Baphomet's presence even more here, as if the sealed shrine was right under his feet. It made him so anxious...

"Alright, fine." A deep sigh left Carly's lips as her shoulder slouched. "But even so, what do you want to do? Please try not to do something as dangerous as what you did last time."

"No, of course not." He replied as he looked away. He would have a lot of apologizing to do… to a lot of people. "But I hope I can get something out of this disaster nonetheless. We took a huge risk, I know, but maybe we can make it worth it. Maybe I can remember something from when Baphomet was inside me that will help us."

"That's what Mathias did with me when I woke up. He made me tell him what I'd seen while the succubus was in me. When she was in my head, I could see in hers too. I saw devastated lands and had this huge feeling of despair. There was a man and a woman, but nothing is clear. The demon kept thinking about a legacy-" she stopped herself from saying more. She didn't want to encourage him. Right now what he needed was to rest, not think about the prophecy. "But unfortunately no matter how well I remembered, my memories have limits. It's just all too fuzzy I can't have clear answers-"

"You could see in her head?" That aroused his curiosity. "If I can remember… maybe I could see something useful too."

"It's different Kenneth…" Carly said as she shook her head, angry at herself for saying so much. "I remember everything from when she was inside me. You don't. You were completely out of it all this time. I don't know if…" She sighed and bit back her words, a small voice at the back of her head reminding her that the man she was talking to was a stubborn idiot. If he wanted to do something, he'd do it no matter what she'd say. A trait his teacher had shared with him unfortunately. "Alright...I suppose it's worth a try. But it's not pleasant you know. It's painful to remember…"

"I don't care, I have to try. I'm sure I've been through worse..." He finished in a lower tone, pushing away the images and burning sensations of agony he felt in his dream. Julian's smiling face flashed in his mind at the same time, but he pushed it away as well. The memory of her was hurting him more than anything right now. It was as if he had just been with her a few minutes ago… and it hurt so much to know it wasn't the case.

He tried to remember. He went back to the beginning, when he talked with Baphomet in his cage. He remembered the conversation, his body of smoke hitting him in the chest. He remembered clearly the pain that erupted in his body as he tried to fight back the demon's influence; his body on fire and shaking, all his muscles clenching and his voice unable to make a sound of pain harsh enough to represent his real suffering. Kenneth stared into space as he recalled the events. His breathing was growing heavy without him noticing and his hand was shaking even more despite his other hand steadying it. For a moment it was as if the pain was back, as if his body was remembering it and he tensed as he closed his eyes. Images flashed in his mind; incomprehensible scenes of horror leaving him with an oppressing feeling of despair, loneliness and anguish. He heard the demon's voice in his head, the sound paralyzing his body and making his head hurt. It engulfed him so completely, invaded all his senses to aggressively that he couldn't hear Carly calling his name over and over beside him.

"Kenneth good God answer me!" She gripped his shoulder in fear, but he didn't react. His breathing was erratic and out of control, his heart racing. His shaking hands were feeling numb and he had trouble staying straight, feeling light headed and almost nauseous. He was starting to hyperventilate as he stared into space with wide eyes. Terror just took over his mind completely and he felt the tears behind his eyes overflow as a small whimper passed his lips between rasp gulp of air.

Carly got up and bent down in front of him, looking at him in the eyes as she took his face between her hands. She tried talking to him, to bring him back to reality, but it was as if he wasn't seeing her at all. She looked back at the door, thinking about getting Touha, but she couldn't just leave him here…

She hugged the younger man tightly, bringing his head to her shoulder. She rubbed his back gently as she shushed him, as she would a scared child. She told him he was safe, that he had nothing to fear and that it was going to be fine. He was shaking so much in her arms, ignoring her embrace. But after a few minutes his hands grabbed the back of her coat tightly and he pressed his eyes against her shoulder. She could feel him trying to control his respiration. It lasted a good 20 minutes before he let go of her coat and calmed down, his body slowly relaxing as it stopped shaking.

He pulled away from her, keeping his head bowed as he took deep breaths. He brought his hand up to his face, brushing the tears away hastily.

"I-I'm sorry, I… I-I don't know what came over me it's…" His voice shook, as well as his hand that refused to steady itself like the rest of his body. He felt even more exhausted, completely drained and sweating. He almost fell on his side but Carly kept him up straight with a worried frown.

"Don't apologize. Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah…" His head was spinning and he still felt like crying. What the hell just happened to him? It was just this huge, uncontrollable feeling of panic taking over him...

"You shouldn't try to remember again I think…" Carly said in a soft tone. "I don't know what you would see inside that demon's head, but it's probably something no human is meant to see. You've probably seen too much already."

The door opening behind her made her turn around. Yolene entered the room hastily, followed by Mathias. The moment the head master's gaze settled on Kenneth, it was as if mother instinct had taken over her as she rushed beside him.

"Kenneth…" She made him look at her, noticing how hot and covered in sweat his skin was despite the fresh air, and how red his eyes were... "Are you alright."

His gaze went from her to his sensei, but not for long. The moment he looked at Mathias he turned his head away in guilt. "I'm fine."

Mathias frowned at his student, noticing his attitude and the way he looked; exhausted and nervous. He wasn't like that when he left him… and Carly's shoulder was not wet with tears either…

"Look at me Kenneth." Yolene insisted, staying at eye level to examine him. He complied and after a few minutes, she sighed and straightened up, looking at Mathias. "I don't see anything unusual either." She turned back toward Kenneth as she shook her head in disbelief. "How did you do this? How did you come back? What the hell happe-?"

"Master… Can't it wait?" Carly interrupted her. "Kenneth needs to rest more than he needs to be asked questions right now. Let him have that please."

"It's fine Carly…" The younger man replied, but she was having none of it.

"No it's not…" she couldn't just ignore what happened. This strange panic attack had scared her so much… she didn't want him to panic again because of the head master's questions.

Yolene looked down at Kenneth's hand shaking by his side and she nodded. "I feel no ill presence inside of you, nor see any darkness in your eyes like a possessed person would normally have. Unfortunately that's not enough for us to be reassured, I'm sure you understand that."

"Yes, I know." Kenneth took a deep breathe, still a bit shaken but doing his best not to let it show as he looked up at Yolene. "But I don't understand what happened more than you do. And I'll be honest, I can't guarantee that… that I'm really clean. I think I am, really I do. But… I wouldn't bet my life on it. I don't want to put you all in danger…"

"I know you don't…" Yolene replied softly. "Normally I would keep you in custody but… I don't want you anywhere near the hole. Who knows what it might awaken in you to feel Baphomet's presence like this." She looked briefly at Carly before continuing. "I'll make arrangement with Gonryun. They helped Moohae recover 8 years ago. I wanted to send Carly as well, but she wanted to stay with you and I agreed. Now that you're awake, I want the both of you to go there."

"For how long?" He asked quickly. He didn't particularly liked the idea. All he wanted right now was to figure out the prophecy…

"As long as the monks there think you need. You don't have a choice in the matter anyway. In the meantime you'll stay here, guarded all the time. I can't risk you staying alone either."

"Can I go back to the sanctuary at least?" Kenneth asked with a pleading look before bowing his head to stare at the floor. "This place makes me anxious…"

Yolene followed his gaze, understanding what he meant as she nodded. "I would prefer to keep you in a closed space honestly. I don't like the idea of letting you stay with all the other monks. What if something happens? What if you're still under the demon's influence and-"

"Monks and champions are not powerless Yolene." Mathias interrupted her." If something weird happen, every monk of this abbey can take the matter into his own hands and deal with it. If anything, the sanctuary is the best place to guard him, with so many jailers around him…"

Yolene considered his words for a moment. "Even so… I don't want our people to take unnecessary risk like this if it can be avoided by restraining him."

"Then restrain me." Kenneth said. "Just don't do it here…."

A long silence filled the room as the headmaster considered her options. After a moment she sighed and shook her head. "I can't let you stay in the sanctuary with all the others. I don't want everyone to know what happened either. They will start to fear you, none of us want that. But I understand you don't want to stay so close to the sealed shrine's portal. There are unoccupied rooms in the church… you'll stay there with guards and restrained at all time. If it was just a normal possession I wouldn't be so careful but considering who was in your head… we can't be careless. I can't afford to be anymore…"

Kenneth bowed his head with a sigh. He didn't have much choice really, so he nodded in agreement to the terms. "Alright, fine. I just want to leave this place. I don't care if it's with my feet chained…"

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><p>Reviews are always appreciate. Even if it's to tell me that my story sucks now and that I shouldn't bother continuing it XD Maybe it's the case lol, I'd like to know if so.<p> 


	47. 5:Forced rest

I don't know what to say at this point. 6 months. It's a record. I won't ask for forgiveness or reviews or anything. I really can't ask for anything at this point. I'm not going to make promises either. Life changes easily. My life now is very different from when I started this. So no, I'm not going to promise that I'll finish this. I'll try. I'll probably take shortcuts. Removes some parts and try to go straight to the point. To finish sooner and give you a conclusion sooner. This is not going to be as edited as it should be. At this point… well, I'll do what a can. Just in case some people are still interested. This is probably going to end in a train wreck. I apologize to those who still had faith in me. Anyway. We'll see how this goes.

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><p><strong>Chapter 47 Forced rest<strong>

Kenneth had done a lot of things in his still rather short life, some good some bad, and in most cases plainly weird. Thanks to where he was born and the eccentricities of his teacher, he had experienced things few monks had. And if having his ankles and wrists chained in an old priest bedroom inside the abbey's church certainly wasn't one of the weirdest experience he's ever had, it was still pretty unsettling….

Yolene, Carly and Mathias had escorted him to the church after Touha had come back with Tomoon. The old man was happy to see him alive and well, but looked at the younger champion with the same hint of apprehension in his eyes as Touha. Yolene asked for his opinion on her plan about Kenneth, even if he had no say to have in it anymore. Probably to show him the respect he deserved as one of the oldest champion of the abbey. Or maybe she regretted kicking him out of the council, who knows? Kenneth couldn't believe it when he heard what happened to the old man. Tomoon had been in the council for so long… but he understood that his implication in all this was too much to let him get away with it. Although Kenneth was pretty sure Yolene would let him come back eventually. That old monk was much too powerful and experienced not to be part of the abbey's leadership; it was simply an insult to his lifetime-acquired wisdom a champion his age ought to have. This whole banishment business was just a way to set him straight and punish him in Kenneth's opinion…

The four of them walked through the empty abbey to get to the church and Kenneth was grateful for all this to happen during the night. Walking around with his feet chained was not really pleasant and he prefered if people didn't know about all this. The headmaster assured him that no one would know his where about or what really happened to him, and he trusted her for that.

Now here he sat, on his new bed in a very small dusty room, with barely 6 inches of chain between his uncomfortable metal cuffs…

"I know this is not the best solution, but bear with it for the moment." Yolene said. "It shouldn't take long before we can send you to Gonryun. At least I hope so. I'll have to explain what happened and… well, we'll see what they say."

"It's fine master, I understand. I don't want trouble, I've caused enough already. I'll do as you say…" Kenneth replied as he bowed his head in shame, which made Yolene sigh.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You were not the mastermind behind this." She said, looking briefly at Mathias with a frown and making Carly look at him as well timidly. The older man noticed and quickly turned toward the door.

"I'll go to the sanctuary to get your stuff. I'm sure you'll want them with you for the time you'll be here." Mathias mumbled as he left the room, leaving an awkward silence behind him. His student sighed heavily as he rubbed his forehead.

"Fuck he's so angry at me…."

"He has every reason to be." Yolene commented as she crossed her arms over her chest. "But you have every reason to be angry at him as well. I know you Kenneth… this is not the kind of thing I would have expected from you. Mathias is no longer your teacher you know. He may be your elder, but he's not your superior. You shouldn't always do as he says…"

"Don't put my part of the blame on him master. I agreed to the plan. He may have insisted a lot, but I agreed nonetheless. I deserve punishment as much as the others."

"I think you've been punished enough already." Carly said with a grave expression, almost angry. "Was having your body and mind ravished by a great demon not chastening enough? Having such horrible images engraved in your brain while he was inside you that just thinking about it gives you panic attack, as if the demon was still in your head?"

"Carly…"

"What's that about panic attack?" Yolene asked with a concerned frown, looking back at Kenneth for an answer.

"It's nothing."

"It's not 'nothing'." Carly repeated, refusing to let the matter go. She tried to stay calm, but the whole ordeal worried her too much. "That demon's mind and yours merged. He was inside you, part of your soul, controlling your body. He saw everything in you and you saw in him as well… and what you saw was so horrible that it put you in a coma!"

"Carly stop it…" Kenneth said in a low tone, feeling the panic invading his mind again and his breathing growing heavier as the images flashed in his mind. Hearing her talk about it and the way she was saying it... it was making this overwhelming feeling that something bad was going to happen rise in his chest.

"You need psychological help as soon as possible." The blonde continued, ignoring him. "You can't deal with this on your own it's too big. The way you act it's as if you don't realize what happened!" As she kept talking she didn't notice how Kenneth closed his eyes and bowed his head, breathing faster with each word she spoke. "It's like you can't grasp just how dangerous it was and how lucky you are to still be alive! There is no demon more powerful than the great demons and one of them was in your mind! You mentally fought a great demon! You could have died! THIS IS NOT NOTHI-"

"STOP IT!"

Kenneth's voice resonated in the small room as he yelled, his hands shaking and his breathing out of control. The woman moved back a little, startled, and stopped talking as the headmaster simply frowned even more at him. He brought his hand up to his head, trying to take deep breaths, but he was hyperventilating again. Small groans of panic passed his lips as he tried to calm down, his shaking hands came to rest on his knees as he kept his eyes closed and tried to breathe normally.

"Kenneth…" Carly took a small step toward him, her voice filled with worries, but Kenneth raised his hand to stop her.

"Don't." He whispered through his erratic breathing, keeping his head bowed. He choked on a sob as he brought a hand in front of his eyes, hiding his tears. He wasn't able to calm down. He was feeling crushed and powerless, feeling as if the ground was going to open up and swallow him. As if Baphomet himself was behind him, breathing down his neck, ready to take over his mind again. He was overwhelmed by fears… fears that were illogical he knew, but he couldn't shake them off. Carly still tried to take a step toward him, but this time the headmaster stopped her; putting her hand on her shoulder as she shook her head.

"Leave him. Just let it pass. We can't help him." She said in a low tone, looking at Kenneth with a sad frown. "Do you want us to leave?"

Her question remained unanswered as Kenneth simply concentrated on taking deep breathes.

"We can leave you alone or we can stay with you until it passes… what do you want?" She asked again.

Yolene's voice was soft and quiet, somehow fitting with the atmosphere in the room. A motherly voice that soothes the worries away. To Kenneth's ears it was almost comforting. Almost. He managed to nod and reply, despite the confusion in his terrified mind.

"Stay…" He whispered hesitantly, unable to say more. The headmaster nodded and came to sit on the bed, silently, waiting for him to come to his senses on his own. Carly stayed where she was, uncomfortable and cursing herself for making him panic like this.

After 15 minutes his breathing went back to normal and he raised his head, but his body was shaking, as if exhausted. He wiped the tears away from his cheeks, only to have more stream down his face. He covered his eyes with his hand and tried to catch his breath, desperately trying to stop shaking. It took a long moment, but eventually his body calmed down and he stopped crying. Yolene waited patiently in complete silence until rose his head.

"Are you alright?" She asked with a stern look.

"I'm fine." He whispered. "I-I'm sorry I-"

"Seems like this whole ordeal had more effect on you than what Mathias told me. You're everything but fine Kenneth." Yolene replied quickly, standing up from the bed. She stood in front of him and bent down to look at him in the eyes, noticing the sweat on his body. He looked just like when she saw him in the infirmary. "I don't know what you saw in that demon's head. I don't know how you managed to push him out of your body and what you've been through to come back to us." She paused a moment, making sure to think her words through before saying them. She didn't want to make him panic again. "I can't understand how you've felt…or even how you feel now. No one can. We can't even begin to imagine what it was like. All we know is that it must have been horrible. And despite that, here you are. Alive. You've alive right now Kenneth, so please..." She smiled lightly, putting her hand gently on his temple. "Just take a break. You've done enough for the moment. Please... forget about all this and sit down for a while."

Kenneth looked away from the floor to meet her gaze. His head was spinning and he had trouble staying straight, but he listened to the headmaster in silence with as much focus as he could muster, which honestly wasn't much. But her expression, her smile, the coolness of her hand on his face and her gentle voice was enough for him. He didn't care much what she was saying. Right now he just felt like leaning on her and hug her. Let her wrap her arms around him and just close his eyes in her embrace, like he did when he was a kid. Really that woman had acted much too nicely and motherly to him when he was younger, compared to the other apprentice. It was to be expected he supposed. With the soft spot she had for Mathias, it was inevitable Kenneth had a place on that spot too. Right now he wanted nothing less than to exploit that soft spot and let her comfort him as if he was a kid again, clinging to what looked like a mother the most around him. But he was no longer a kid and so he simply nodded to her words with a small smile.

"Yes m'am."

His answer seemed to satisfy Yolene and she nodded, taking her hand away from him. "Good. One thing at a time Kenneth. You start by pulling yourself together again, and we'll see about the prophecy after that." She finished as she turned around and walked toward the door. "Carly you stay with him for the moment. I'll arrange things with the council to set up a guard rotation." She turned toward Kenneth one last time as she stopped in the doorframe. "We'll make sure that as less people as possible knows about this Kenneth, don't worry. Everyone will think you just left the abbey temporarily for your own reasons, and no one will be the wiser."

"Thank you." He replied slowly with a small nod. Yolene looked at Carly one last time before leaving.

"Let us know if anything happens." And with that she was gone, leaving behind her a very awkward situation as Carly averted her eyes from Kenneth's gaze.

"Sorry for yelling at you." He said in a low tone, but it made Carly jump nonetheless as she quickly reassured him.

"N-no I-I'm sorry I shouldn't have talked to you like this in the first place I'll be more careful I promise…" Her hasty replied made Kenneth smile lightly.

"We've both been apologizing way too much in the past hours I think." He commented with a small laugh, doing his best to regain some of his composure and trying to make the situation less awkward after what happened. He had never experienced anything like this and he hated the fact that he couldn't control it. No matter how many times he told himself there was nothing to be scared about, that his fears were illogical, that he had no reasons to panic; it was simply beyond his control. For a monk, there was nothing worst than being unable to control your own body and mind…

"I… yes, I suppose you're right." She replied, smiling as well as her body relaxed. She came to sit beside him on the bed, brushing off her thoughts. There was no point talking about it more. She was worried about him, about his state of mind, about his health… but talking about it now would only result in more embarrassment, maybe more panic on his part and surely more apologizing. So she decided to let the matter go for the moment. "Do you… do you want me to stay outside?" She asked hesitantly. Maybe he prefered to stay alone…

"No, of course not." Kenneth replied quickly. He didn't want her to go. He didn't really feel like talking… but he didn't want to be alone either.

"Alright." Carly scanned the room with her eyes, taking in the environment for the first time. She wasn't sure where to go from here, not knowing what to say or do. Her gaze settled on an old chessboard laying in the dust, covered in spider web behind one of the bookshelf. She smiled to herself as she nodded toward it. "You want to play?"

Kenneth followed her gaze in surprise before raising a brow at her "You sure this is a good moment to pay games?" Seemed to him like there were more important matters at hand right now.

"Yolene told you to take a break, didn't she?" She replied, getting up to get the board. Kenneth was her friend. The only thing she could do now was help him forget a little. "We're both stuck here for the time being anyway. We've got time."

"Playing won't help me understand what's going on with the pro-"

"Obviously it's not a good idea for you to think about the prophecy right now, no matter how much you would like to sort things out." She interrupted him with a sympathetic smile. "I know you want to understand. I know it's hard. But you should listen to Yolene. Rest for a little while, distract yourself. Playing will help you do that, don't you think? Get you to concentrate on something else."

The black haired man watched as she cleaned the chessboard and put it on a small round table by the window. She pulled one of the chair and invited him to sit after removing the dust from the seat. Kenneth smiled and sighed, but remained on the bed, hesitating.

"Let's see if I still beat you every time." Carly said, putting her hands on her hips with a challenging look in her eyes that made Kenneth smile even more.

"That was 8 years ago. I'm sure I've gotten better." He retorted.

"Have you played during those 8 years?"

"Not really…"

That made Carly giggle as she sat down, taking the pieces from a small box she had taken from one of the shelves. "Well, seems like you'll have plenty of time to practice."

* * *

><p>"Mathias."<p>

The old man looked up from the chest he was carrying and stopped in his track to look at the woman coming his way. His heart skipped a beat and he felt his stomach turn upside down as he tried to hide it behind a smile.

"Already back Sunshine? I hope Kenneth is ok. I'm bringing him his stuff now so if you don't mind, that chest is pretty heavy so-"

"Then put it down. We have to talk." The headmaster replied, not reciprocating his smile.

"Here? In the middle of the road?"

"Yes. Now."

It made Mathias' shoulder slouch as his brain tried to come up with an excuse to leave, but in vain. He sighed heavily and put the chest on the ground slowly, preparing himself yet again for the conversation he had managed to avoid until now. Even with the faint moonlight, he could clearly see the huge frown on Yolene's face. That woman was pissed and he was the number one cause of it…

"Did you have time to think about what happened Mathias? About what you did?" She asked sternly, keeping a good distance from the other man.

"Of course I did. It's all I did for the past days." He replied truthfully in a low tone.

"And what conclusion have you drawn from your reflection?"

The old monk frown, not sure what he was supposed to answer to that question. He took a deep breath, looking around and shrugging as he put his hands in his pockets. "Isn't it obvious? What we… what I did was dangerous and irresponsible. We had no rights to take such risks and endanger the whole abbey just to see what would happen. Just to see if it could maybe help. Especially without warning you." He started, trying to tell her what she wanted to hear. "It's you the headmaster here. It's a decision we couldn't make without you and we never should have hidden it from you. We never should have considered it at all in the first place. I made a mistake that almost cost the life of my student. Believe me when I say that I learned my lesson the hard way."

"No. The hard way would have been Kenneth dying. Apparently God still thinks there's hope for you. He knows you have no will to live without your pupil. Seems like you two still have business in this world."

Her words surprised him. It wasn't what he expected her to say. Yolene was a rational woman. For her to speak of the will of God and fate now... it was unsettling.

"You probably think I'm here to lecture you Mathias." She continued with a sigh, dropping the stern look slightly as she took a few step toward him. "But I'm not. I've already made my point about what happened. What I need to do now is apologize.."

"...Excuse me what?" That made Mathias frown even more in confusion.

"You heard me. Mathias… I'm sorry for what happened. I take the blame as much as you and Tomoon. It was my inaction that pushed you into action. If I had done something about this prophecy… if I had believed in it sooner, from the start, maybe we could have had avoided all this. We could have acted sooner, start to understand it sooner. Maybe it would all make sense by now. But I refused to believe it…" She looked down at the ground, almost ashamed. Her long untied hair were dancing in the wind, getting in her face and she quickly caught them with her hands to try to tame them a little.

"I… you have nothing to apologize for." Mathias whispered hesitantly. He didn't want her to be angry at him… but he didn't like her being angry at herself either. "You're too hard on yourself. You couldn't predict how stupid we are. How foolish we would act. Don't excuse our actions…"

"I'm not. What you did is unforgivable. Luckily everyone came back alive and Baphomet is still sealed. That's the only reason why you're not all banned from this Abbey." She retorted firmly as she proceeded to braid her hair as she talked, tired of having it in her face. "All I'm saying is that I also have my faults in all this. Now I know we can't take this prophecy lightly. It's not just some demon's delusion. Even if it is, enough of them believe it to attack us directly. Twice. I can't allow that. I just wanted to tell you that from now on we will do everything we can to protect Kenneth and find out what this is all about. No more ignoring it. I promise."

Mathias nodded slowly, only half-listening to what she was saying. He was too busy staring at her hands and how her fingers nimbly braided her hair with ease. Crazy how such delicate hands could rip his heart out of his chest without giving him any chance to defend himself…

Was it wrong that the thought turned him on?

Probably…

She tied the end of her braid and threw her hair behind her shoulder with a satisfied sigh.

"With that said… There still needs to be consequences to your actions. I let you watch over Kenneth but now I have no ch-"

"Talking like this in the middle of the night…" Mathias interrupted her with a nostalgic smile, staring at her in a way she hadn't seen in a long time. "Doesn't it bring back memories?"

She moved back a little, surprised to see him bring this up now. But she quickly scoffed, slouching her shoulders. "Mathias…"

"Such a long time ago that was. Sneaking out in the middle of the night. Now that I think about it, I think I've never even seen your body in the daylight. In my memories, your skin has always been so creamy and pale, but really it's probably just because it was always lit by the moonlight. I'd have to verify to be sure actually."

"This is not the time nor the place..." She said in an exasperated tone. "Don't change the subject."

"Sorry." He laughed lightly. "I'm just nostalgic. Seeing you like this in your night clothes, outside, lit by the moonlight on that same road we would walk after… well, I can't help but feel the heat you know."

"I'm an old woman now Mathias. All this belongs to another time that seems like another life. The woman you fucked on walls and trees all those years ago doesn't exist anymore." She replied coldly, which surprised Mathias. Especially her choice of words. It made him almost uncomfortable coming from her.

"Such language. And not even a blush on your pretty face..."

"Were you expecting one? Stop living in the past, old man. Your vulgarity doesn't faze me anymore, nor does your crude jokes. So keep them for a more appropriated time."

"I'm sorry." He replied slowly, dropping his joking behavior as he looked away. "I'm just trying to avoid what's coming my way."

"I know Mathias. I know…" She sighed as she put her hand on his shoulder gently, which made him look back at her. She squeezed his shoulder lightly, a sad smile on her face. "But there's no escaping it now. Once you've given Kenneth his things, you're going to the hole." The last word made Mathias close his eyes and bow his head slightly, but Yolene continued. "You won't stay for long I promise. You already suffered enough with Kenneth, I'm aware of that. But it's not enough. I hope you can use that time to really think about what you did and appreciate your freedom afterwards."

Yolene kept explaining her decision to him, but at this point he wasn't listening anymore. He couldn't even hear her. He just raised his head to meet her gaze, watching her lips move to form words he couldn't understand. Her hand was burning on his shoulder as he stared at her. She had such an apologetic look on her face. Despite all the years showing on her features, whenever he looked at her he could still see the sweet young girl he grew up with. If anything, all those lines on her face gave her character and made her even more beautiful. He looked at younger girls all the times and they were all so pretty, but Yolene was the only woman his age he could look at and think "this woman has never been more attractive in her life than now." And at that time, as she kept talking and looking at him, he wondered how she saw him...

There was a time when he could simply smile at her to make her blush. When he could just look at her in the eyes and make her melt. He knew she found him attractive back then, but what about now? Did she still see the same handsome young man he used to be? Or was he just an old bald man like all the others now. Was she keeping the image of his younger self in her memories, unable to see him as the same man anymore with all the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth? Did she still look at his eyes, getting lost in them like she used to? Was his presence still making her shiver when she woke up in the morning?

He had absolutely no idea what she was saying anymore as he delved deeper into his thoughts, admiring her shamelessly like he rarely did anymore. He wished she wasn't always hiding her presence nowadays. He hadn't felt it in years. A comforting feeling from what he recalled, that made you feel like you were lying down on warm sand and the cold tide was washing over you. It was a confusing feeling, contradictory, but addictive. As he tried to remember it, he realized it was so deeply carved into his memory that he could recall it perfectly, soon longing to feel it again. How long had it been? and how long had it been since they last shared a night. 20 years maybe. They were so young back then. He was so stupid and she was so kind to let him have her any way, any time he wanted. How he wished he could make it up to her, for all her feelings he hurt over the years. How he wished he could go back in time and treat her properly. How he wished he could still spend the night with her...

"Mathias."

His name leaving her lips brought him back to reality, his eyes focusing on hers. He swallowed and coughed lightly, composing himself.

"Y-yes?"

"Do you understand?" She asked with a raised brow, her hand moving down his arm gently.

Understand what? Fuck he had no idea what she just said. But in his confusion he simply nodded, hoping to get away with it. "Y-yeah. I understand."

"Alright…" Yolene removed her hand from him, leaving a cold sensation on his skin. "Then go see your student one last time. The next time you see him will be when he comes back. And go see anyone else you might want to see. Won't be seeing them either until you come out of the hole."

She moved passed him, without even saying goodbye. Mathias smelled her scent as she passed by and was then left alone with himself. After a moment he turned around, looking at her in the distance.

His heart was beating so fast as he looked down at the chest at his feet. Once he gave this to Kenneth, he would have to leave for the hole…The thought almost made him throw up.

He didn't even know for how long he would be in that forsaken hole. Damn him and his wandering mind, ruminating over thoughts he didn't even wanted to bring up. Why did he even cared about what she thought of him, now, all of a sudden. It shouldn't matter. Not anymore. It's not like he never had a chance with her. He got thousands of chances and he wasted every single one of them by using her like the selfish piece of trash he was. But it didn't matter anymore. They were both old and closer to their death than their good years now. None of this mattered anymore.

* * *

><p>As I said… I just really don't know what to say at this point except sorry.<p> 


	48. Update message

No this is not a new chapter sorry. Actually this is a question. It's been erm… 4 months since my last update. Started this story like… 3 years ago or something. I read it now and I cringe at my writing. That's the downside to long stories I guess. Anyway. Here I am now, wondering if this is all still worth it. I still see 17 persons with this story in their alert list. I know that approximately 30 persons have read my last chapter in the last 4 months. That tells me some people might still be interested. And I thank Shikio and Ephanie for their constant reviews, showing me there's still hope for my story. As I grow older I find myself scattering my time all over the place for various things, and here I am today to ask you if I should put some of that time into writing this story again. I have treated all of you badly with my poor updates, I realize that. I've made promises I couldn't keep and I apologize. I've lost a lot of you along the way. Understandable. Most of the people who started reading this from the start are probably not even here on ff anymore. But anyway.

All that to say, do you think this is still worth my time? Do you think this is still worth YOUR time?

Are there still people waiting for updates at all?


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